Broken Vow
by JennaLynne
Summary: When Esme is killed during the battle in Eclipse, Carlisle must fight to overcome coma-like depression. When he meets Arielle, a girl running from her past, will they save each other? Book 1 of 3 in my "Solar Flares Saga". Completed 10/27/2008
1. Prologue

It was cold outside.

I never noticed.

What does it mean to lose some you love? What does it mean when your heart has been shattered into a million pieces and you don't see the point in trying to pick them up again?

I was alone.

It had been over two years now. Years since Victoria and the newborn vampires had come searching for revenge. Their gripe was with Bella, and therefore, all of us. And so they'd killed her.

Esme. My love.


	2. Face Down

_Author's Note: Okay, this is my first twilight fic, and it contains minor spoiler's for Eclipse, except it kinda doesn't because I changed peices. Anyway, character pairings: Bella/Edward Alice/Jasper Rosalie/Emmett Carlisle/Esme Carlisle/Orginal Character. Basically, that's it, please review, let me know if I should keep going._

* * *

The sun burned brightly in the sky. It was a rare occasion that happened in London. I stuck to the shadows, avoiding the rays and the potentially disastrous consequences that would result should I step into them. The turn I made was sharp, and the alley I found myself down was tiny. The buildings shadowed it, giving me the dark cover I so desperately needed. The street was made of cobblestones, and I saw the red splash on the rocks before I could smell it. It ran like a river to the spot where I stood, tempting me sorely. Sure, I was all but immune to the taste of it, but caught off guard, as I was now, occasionally the smell still struck me.

I saw her body move, followed by a gasp of pain. Without thinking, my legs picked up speed, and I was at her side.

"There's nothing to be done" she whispered through closed eyes and gritted teeth, she clasped her hand over the gaping wound in her stomach. From which a knife still jutted. "Even if by some miracle you could save my life now…it wouldn't matter. He'd just kill me later…please…just go"

Bewildered, I stared at her for a moment. I felt a surge of pity from the depths of my cold soul. It was stronger than any emotion I had felt for along time. I looked closer. Her face was broad yet also angular and although she wasn't beautiful in the sense that Rosalie or Alice was, one might say she was beautiful, in an exotic way, with fiery red hair, tanned skin and piercing green eyes. Yeah, she was a looker. Even through the bruises and abrasions marring her face. I could tell.

Her clothes were ripped and torn and she did not appear to have any shoes whatsoever. "Did you wish to die?" I found myself muttering

"Are you bloody stupid?" she gasped, forcing her eyes open "does anyone wish to die? I said it didn't matter if you saved me…it's only a temporary fix."

It was then I saw something rather unsettling: A long, white scar that tore down the side of face. It ran from the side of the right eye, down her cheeks and to her collarbone. The sight of the scar made me rather uneasy. "What if it wasn't? What if he…whoever he is…couldn't hurt you anymore."

"How…could that be possible?" she winced again, her lids flickering closed

"Do you trust me?"

She hesitated, contemplating "I…yes. God knows why."

I lifted her frail broken body into my arms. My flat would be the safest place to change her…to save her. She needed to survive that long, I needed to keep her talking.

"What's your name?" I said softly. She was light, but I was thankful the flat was close. I needed to get her inside, alive, without letting the sunlight touch me. It was nice out for about a total of thirty days in London. Why, of all days, did today have to be nice?

"Arielle." She whispered "And who are you? Unless you want me to call you knight in shining armor that is…"

A sense of humor. I mused. That'd be useful. "Carlisle" I found myself telling her

"Cullen" she responded ruefully "Should have known."

"Ah, I see my reputation precedes me"

She forced a smile, her body shuddering, and I knew the temperature of my own cold body held so close to hers was not helping. "Stay with me Arielle…how old are you?" I asked in a pathetic attempt to keep her talking.

"twenty –one. And you?"

"Three hundred and nineteen."

"He cracks jokes. I'm dying, and my savior jokes with me"

"Nobody's joking." I admitted solemnly. She may as well know what she's committing herself to before she does it. I decided. "I truly am. And someday you'll be that old too…if you still trust me."

With a great strained effort, she swallowed. "How is that possible?...What the hell are you?"

I unlocked my flat, exhaling finally as I did so. Gingerly I placed her body on the couch and knelt beside her. "I'm a vampire."


	3. Tempoary Lyric

I watched as she choked on my words, or maybe it was the laugh she was clearly desperately trying to suppress. "You…You're not serious?"

"Afraid so…Actually you'd be surprised at the myths that truly do exist."

"And you intend to turn me into…a…" she failed to find the word.

"Vampire. Yes. So if you want me to save your life, you'd better let me do so."

"But if you're making me a vampire…aren't you really ending my life?"

I couldn't fight the smile that encompassed my face "Technically, yes…but I won't do it if you tell me not to…" I found myself pausing, searching for words. "If you don't want me to do this…you need to tell me now."

"Do it…because he can't kill me if I'm undead"

"Not undead…you're not a zombie Arielle" I laughed despite myself "But you will be immortal."

"Immortal? As in…I'll live forever?"

The pain was fresh and sharp. Yes, it was supposed to mean forever. But forever apparently had its limits, there were things that could kill even vampires. Like other vampires. I felt the tears well behind my eyes as I remembered Esme. And I remembered the girl before me now. The one who at this moment needed my help. "Yes. You'll be 21…forever."

Arielle nodded towards me "Please…its better this way."

I took her hand, sinking the incisors into her palm. She didn't even wince. I knew the pain from the puncture was inconsequential compared to the gaping wound in her midsection. Her eyes were closed, I remember how it burned. And I left her. It would take three days, in the least, and there was nothing more I could do for now.

* * *

"What in the hell were you thinking?"

"I told her what she was getting into before I did it."

"She knew?! You told her…she chose this life?"

"Oh, come now Edward. It's not all been bad."

He wrinkled his nose and looked down at Arielle's sleeping form. "It's not all been good either…what are you trying to do Carlisle…replace Mom?!"

I reacted without thinking, reaching out my palm connected with the side of my adopted son's face. "Of course not! How could you even think that!"

"You tell me" he said curtly

The eyes on the couch flickered open. I could tell from them that the pain had faded. I remembered that it became a different sort of pain. More of a thirst. And that would never fade. "Welcome back Arielle, how do you feel?" I asked her softly turning my full attention towards her.

"Besides confused you mean?"

"Yes" I reply with a smile "Besides."

"Um…I suppose thirsty. Is that possible? Do I get thirsty now?"

"That's about all you get." Edward exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair, irritation evident in his words. I shot him a monstrous look, the irony of that word, striking me. Arielle would consider herself a monster for a while now. At least, I know I looked at myself that way.

"She doesn't think of herself as a monster." Edward hissed

"Wait!" Arielle cried out "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"I can read minds" he said nonchalantly waving her off, turning his attention back to me. I raised my eyebrows, saying nothing.

"Well, I'll be damned. Can I do that too?" Arielle asked when no one spoke for a moment.

Edward shrugged "Maybe. You could try."

She screwed her eyes shut, concentrating on the thoughts of those around her. Instead of hearing thoughts, all she managed to do was sneeze. I didn't bother to stifle the laugh. "You look ridiculous"

"Well…how come you can do it…and I can't?" she accused Edward

"When you…change…for lack of a better word… a sense is often heightened. Generally its one that was already piqued when you were human."

She processed his words, trying to understand them. "So now that I'm a vampire…I have…powers?"

"She reminds me of how Bella was when we first turned her…talking of powers and abilities." Edward laughed. "She'll like you Arielle."

She sat up, rubbing the last of the exhaustion from her eyes. "I don't mean to be a bother…but can someone answer my question?"

I smiled "Arielle, I don't know if powers are the right word. Perhaps 'abilities' is closer. Your heightened sense, whatever it is, will reveal itself in time."

"Oh. Okay then." She responded dejected

"Time will tell" I promised, collecting her chin in my hand "For now, we need to get you a…drink …and explain the Cullen guidelines, allowing you to decide if you want to stay with us."

"Vampires have rules?"

"These vampires do" I said sternly "We don't drink human blood."

"Like vegetarian vampires?" she asks with a laugh

"That's what we like to think of ourselves as."

"Well…after the way I was treated all my life…I've no desire to take a human life. If you'll have me, I'd like to stay."

"Of course I'll have you. Did you think I'd turn you into a … well a monster, and then turn you out when you don't want to go? Come on, what do you take me for?"

"I've learnt not to expect much from people."

"Jaded" Edward mused "That could help her tremendously"

"Or be a violent curse" I spat.

"I don't want to think that way." She whispered

"That will help." I noted, softer "If you think you can walk, I'll take you to meet the rest of your new 'family' and get you something to drink. Time will help you understand all this. The first year will be hard, but you'll have all of us here to help you."

She smiled as I lifted her to her to her feet. "I trust you." Arielle said quietly "I don't expect anything, but I do trust you."


	4. Just What I Needed

Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been crazy busy with work and school and stuff. I promise to update more often, if i get some reviews! :)

* * *

"Has the burning stopped?" I found myself speaking in a pathetic attempt to try and kill the uncomfortable sense of silence that had suddenly encompassed the room.

Arielle nodded. "Mostly." She shut her eyes, pure sadness etched on her face.

"He did a number on you didn't he?"

Fear shot into her face now, unmistakable, even mixed with the melancholy it already bore. "Who? No one did anything."

"Bullshit." I let myself curse, something I rarely did, and I noticed Edward wince at the word. It had surprised even him. "If you're not ready to talk about it, that's one thing…but don't lie. Lying for him will not make it better."

Arielle pressed a finger to her temple, the only place burning remained. "I…I don't know how it got as bad as it did." She admitted. "It seemed like one minute we were secondary school sweethearts, and then… then I couldn't do a damn thing right. No matter what I did, I got hit…or worse."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward lower his head, I knew he could see Arielle being beaten senseless, being violated in every possible way. I did all I could taking her hand, which even between my own cold fingers, felt icy, and held it tightly. "He can't hurt you now. This I promise you."

"He's there, in my thoughts. Everywhere. I can't escape it." She ripped her hand from mine, her whole body consumed by shudders and what would've been tears, had she been able to cry. And I understood her ultimate horror. The one Edward had seen, that she hadn't spoken of.

I pulled her tiny body back into my arms, she clutched on, begging me to make the pain fade. "Arielle…there is nothing I can say or do that will lessen what you've gone through."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and helpless. "I know. I've never been one to regret things I do. To change my mind and wish I was able to do things over. I know that all this will make me stronger, and I know that I have you… and for some ungodly reason…I trust you. And I have complete faith that you won't let him hurt me again."

With my free hand, I cupped her face softly, brushing a stand of hair away from her eye. "No, no one will ever hurt you again." She shook again, fighting the memory. I felt myself overcome with an almost un-fightable urge to kiss her. I could still feel the heat radiating from her lips, fresh from transformation. Edward growled, disturbing my daydream. I knew he was in my head, and pissed about Esme.

"Bugger off." I hissed "my bloody thoughts are none of your business. It's been two years, I'm allowed to think."

He shrugged "I said nothing."

"Your wife…she died."

Shock hit me first; it took a moment to find my voice. "How did you know that?!" the anger hit next, and I spat the words at her.

"I just saw it happen…like a flashback…only how could I possibly know? I wasn't there…"

"What did you see?" I found myself whispering

"It looked like a field. And you-" she pointed to Edward "you weren't there. There were lots of vampires fighting…and wolves. The ones you were fighting looked…inexperienced. It was three to one against you Dr. Cullen. The one got away and attacked her from behind. You blame yourself."

"She can see the past" Edward said softly

"Did you figure that one out all on your own?"

He rolled his eyes at me, but finally sat, some of the anger having finally melted from them.

"Well Arielle, you were wondering about your power… I think we just found it. You've a sort of hindsight. It appears you're able to see the past in vivid detail."

"I'll say." She muttered, but before she could say anything else Alice bounded into the room, the energy expelling from her pores.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh"

Edward rolled his eyes again, Arielle laughed. Alice's pixie-like appearance usually brought a smile to anyone's face.

"Oh my gosh what?"

Instead of responding, my brunette daughter threw her arms around my shoulders, a wide grin on her face. "Oh you'll see."

I felt my nose wrinkle, and turned to Edward for help, wondering what she was so excited about. "You'll get nothing from me." He smiled knowing that not knowing was torturing me. "In fact, I'll go get the rest of the family so she can be properly introduced."

With a knowing smile, Alice followed him out of the room, leaving me alone with Arielle.

"So I have a power. It's not as cool as Edwards… but at least I have one!"

I couldn't help but smile. "Of course you do, and hindsight can be very useful. Give it time."

She nodded, and smiled, really smiling for the first time since I'd met her. The change it brought to her already pretty face was astounding. And I couldn't help myself this time. Gingerly I took her face between my fingers and touched my lips to hers. It was only meant to be a taste. To prove to myself that I was going crazy and I didn't need to feel her. She took me deeper, grabbing fistfuls of my shirt, before I knew it, I couldn't think. It took every ounce of strength I had to pull myself away, I had no desire to hurt her the way she'd been hurt in the past.

"If I needed to breathe, I'd pretty much be screwed right about now."

She only nodded, swallowing hard. "I never knew… knew it could be like that."

"It should be like that. Every time."

She smiled, and pulled me close again, crashing her lips over mine. There was no gentleness this time, no cautionary exploration. Only heat, passion building, seemingly endlessly, to the point where I couldn't think anymore.

"Holy shit." She whispered

I laughed, her crude response was accurate, I could think of no better way to describe what had just happened. "That must've been what Alice saw."

"Our kiss? How could she? Unless… she can see the future?"

"Of sorts." I ran a finger down her cheek "But this is a future I could get used to."

"I'm warming up to it." She agreed and settled lazily into the corner of my arms, and at that moment, it seemed things would be okay.


	5. New Deep

_**Author's Note: I know I haven't updated in forever. But I have had a serious case of writer's block. And i know this chapter sucks... but im begging you to review it anyway... i need some help to move forward... thanks!**_

* * *

The sun ducked behind a bunch of clouds and I took the opportunity to move towards the window and stare into the streets of London.

"Come," I whispered softly, turning back to Arielle "Let me show you the rest of my…of our home."

As we moved through the flat, though she said nothing I could feel the simple excitement flowing from her. The feeling that she wasn't going to die tomorrow and that people here would watch out for her. I pointed out everything I could think of, and introduced her to everyone I could find. In a bedroom we found ourselves at a complete stop. She was fixated on a mirror, on her own new reflection. "I…" she reached up at touched her cheeks, there were no bruises. Her bone structure was slightly different, a little more slashing, simply making her more stunning. "I look so different!"

"It does take some getting used to" agreed a female voice from behind us. I turned to introduce her to the final members of our family.

"Arielle, this is Bella. Edward's wife."

"Don't be holding that against me though!" she said with a laugh, her deep amber eyes twinkling. Bella shifted the small child at her waist and leaned to give Arielle a warm embrace. For a moment Arielle went rigid and Bella stepped back.

"Whoa. That flashback thing is freaky."

Bella laughed again, feeling reassured "I'll bet it is."

"Who's this?" she asked Bella quietly, stepping closer to the toddler in her arms

"This is Renessme."

I watched her caress my granddaughters face. Genuine affection etched upon her own. And then it clicked, and I felt like I should hit myself.

"Arielle, I think maybe we should hunt."

She closed her eyes, pondering for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose I should go."

Gingerly, she handed Renessme back to her mother, and followed me back to the foyer.

"Didn't that bother you?" I asked cautiously

"Er – what bother me?"

"Holding Renessme like that. She has a heartbeat…like a human."

"Well, yeah, and she smelled good too. But like you said before…there are rules and stuff. And I would never hurt a member of this family."

Suddenly I was kissing her again. Her lips were cool, and with each passing second seemed to draw deeper and deeper into my own. Was it really possible to feel like this again? Unsteady, I grabbed her by the shoulders and moved her closer. In tumbling waves her hair curled and cascaded down her face. I didn't fight the urge to drag my fingers through it. She sighed. It was such a small noise that anyone that didn't have supernatural hearing would've missed it. I stepped away. Arielle leaned against the wall, desperate for support.

"I- I don't think I can feel my legs."

"They're there. Never fear."

"I've never been kissed like that before" she admitted honestly "And I'd never want anything less again"

I laughed, taking her hand I lead her to the car. We had work to do.


	6. Let Me Fall

_**Author's Note. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and thanks for adding me to your alert/fav's. It means alot and i'm glad people are reading.**_

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I drove for hours on end, taking us far from the city, into the Birkett Mountains of west Britain. Humans would be insane to brave the weather facing even the lower parts of the mountain. Snow coated the ground, and a freezing chill hung in the air. We marred the pristine white ground as we hunted. Arielle leaned against a tree as I gracefully lunged for a deer, taking it to the ground.

"You do that well." She noted

In spite of myself, I felt the corners of my lips turn upwards. "Was it obvious I was showing off?"

"Painfully" she agreed, but curved her slender index finger towards me, beckoning.

"Did it work?" I found myself asking, acting, feeling younger than I'd felt in years.

"Better than you'd think."

And her mouth covered mine, cool yet warm. Taking and still giving. I searched for my self-control and found none. Where had my brain gone?

She dug her hands into the tree, a tree that was almost three times as thick as her waist, and easily weighed a hundred times more than she did. Connected to her as I was, I felt it giving way before it actually did, and we dragged each other to the ground. Ravaging. Hungry in a way I hadn't felt in years.

"More. Here. Now." Her voice was strained, her breathing ragged.

I heard cloth tear and vaguely wondered which of us would be returning home naked. I couldn't think of anything but Arielle, couldn't taste anything but what was on her lips. A hint of tobacco, fresh deer, snow. It swept through me in a rush, all the needs, the desperation, the frantic urges that coalesced into blind lust. The taste of her exploded inside, the ripe greedy heat of her fired in me. I couldn't get enough of her, her mouth, her throat, her breasts. Her gasps and moans and cries were like lashes against his naked need, driving me to remember what I'd forgotten and to take more. She was a dangerous surprise under the injured calm. I'd wanted her, those sad eyes, and quiet demeanor. But I hadn't known what she would give when the mask was yanked away.

* * *

Edward lounged on the couch, Bella curled comfortably in his lap, Renessme sprawled across the floor, drawing.

"I like her." Bella said finally

"I don't care. He's replacing Esme."

"We both know he's not. And I think some companionship will be good for him. He's done nothing but brood since she died."

"He loved her."

"He did. No one will ever be able to dispute that. But Edward, remember the Volturi guard who lost his mate? Marcus? He wandered around for years like an apathetic zombie. I don't want that for Carlisle."

"And you think I do?" he raised his voice ever so slightly, Renessme turned around, eyebrows raised, staring at her father.

"Absolutely not. And I know you miss her just as much."

"I do Bella." The words came in a hurried whisper "so much."

She ran a hand gently across his cheek. "Get to know her. She's part of our family now, give it a chance. You might surprise yourself."

"I said that to Rosalie once."

"Did you?" she asked, intrigued.

"Mhmm, there was this girl…once upon a time. And I loved her. But she was human."

Bella smiled "I'll bet she was really ugly."

"Not in the least…dead clumsy though."

She kissed him softly and looked at their daughter, whose eyelids were drooping.

"Bedtime."

With a soft smile, the little family trucked up the stairs.


	7. Kryptonite

_**A/N: Thanks guys. You know who you are. And from the bottom of my heart, you rock.**_

* * *

"Whoa."

I couldn't find a response to match the magnitude of her brief, yet accurate statement, so I simply found my arm wrapping itself around her waist.

"Is it absolutely horrid that I could go again?"

The laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it. "No, and I wouldn't expect anything less."

She slipped deeper into my embrace, shuddered. "I never thought it could be like this."

I swallowed, words caught in my throat. _Had I made a mistake?_ "Like…what?" I finally managed

"Okay. Fun. Pleasure."

Relief flooded through me. "It can be. It should be."

"I…" she pursed her lips, as if in thought, but said nothing more.

Curiosity took over, and I was forced to ask. "What were you thinking?"

"I-I was just wondering…Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you care? Why save me? So many who knew me tried. So many who loved me tried. Only you succeeded. I can't help but wonder why."

"I don't have an answer." I admitted honestly. "Something in me has always wanted to help people…and that's how you started off. But as to why we ravaged each other on a mountain top…I cannot say."

"Maybe its one of those things we're better off not knowing."

"Perhaps." I agreed softly "And maybe its one of those things that will reveal itself as life goes on."

Arielle nodded and rolled over, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "We're very alike, you know."

Intrigued, I pressed her further. "How so?"

"Lost, broken and virtually alone."

"I'm not broken." I stutter

"It's in your eyes. And it's painful."

"Well…well you saw what happened to me. Now I need you to tell me what happened to you. All of it. Not just the abbreviated version you gave me before."

"It's not pretty."

"It rarely is."

"We were secondary school sweethearts, this I've already told you. He was always jealous of how the other kids looked at me, and made it seem like it was my fault his friends wanted his girlfriend. He made me feel like a slut. But I loved him. And he was the only person I was ever with, the only thing I ever knew. I married him as soon as I graduated. I was always trying to make something better for us. He'd come home drunk. Accuse me of cheating; I guess I always hoped it would stop. That the next day when he'd apologize, he'd actually mean it."

"How did it start?" I found myself wanting to know, and at the same time revolted by this man, by everything she'd been through, and not wishing to drag her though it again.

"I was fifteen. The first time we had sex. Everybody was doing it… so I did it too. And after…I told him that it was too much. I couldn't handle it. I wanted to back off, and just go back to the way things were. He slapped me. Instantly he recoiled, like his hands were a deadly weapon and he seemed so disgusted with himself. His apology seemed so genuine…and things were fine…for a while."

"It's a circle. It never stops until you have the will to say no."

She nodded continuing with her tale. "There was another first. This one was worse by far. There was cigarette smoke curling in the air sticking to our walls, the stale scent of it lingering, hanging on. The sound of glass breaking caused me to throw my hands to my ears, protecting. The shards flew into my skin. Ashtrays littered the apartment, cigarette butts still burning inside them. I waited for the painful blows, but they never did come. Only a sly smile, an evil laugh. I willed myself not to cry as he finally pinned me to a wall. And I pleaded with him. But nothing I said or did mattered. I remember he took another vodka shot, the alcohol weighing heavy on his breath. And I felt more helpless than ever. I couldn't think. I said 'No.' I'm sure I did. I'll never forget how I begged him not to as he forced himself on me." She slammed her eyes shut, consumed by invisible pain.

"I loved him. And I'm not really sure when that stopped. Perhaps it hasn't…But all I know now is I want out. I never want to go back."

"You're out. You're not going back."

She collapsed onto me, clinging desperately. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just for listening. It was all I needed."

I pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, again inhaling her soft warm scent. "We should head back before the others worry."

She nodded

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I…I think so. For now, I am."

I scanned the ground for our clothing, quickly learning it was her shirt that had been torn in the struggle. I shot her an apologetic smile. _Where had my self control gone? I was like a hormone crazed newborn. _"You can wear mine."

Arielle laughed. "With my new body, I'd love an excuse to go nude…"

"I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon." And for some reason, unbeknownst to me, I wanted no one else to see her naked.

She pouted. "I'll bet it is."

"Come. Let's go home. There's so much more I can show you. That I want to show you."

Wordlessly she nodded and dressed quickly, following me to the car.


	8. Breakout

_**Author's Note: I've broken my biggest rule twice in a row now, and swich POV's midway through a chapter. Don't hate me for it. It just...sorta needed to be done. You'll see. Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

"As much as I want to…I can't hate her."

Edward yanked Rosalie out from under Alice's yellow Porsche Turbo, staring into his sisters eyes, he began to yell, temper flaring out of control. "I expected you to be with me on this! You were so against Bella becoming a vampire! You kept saying-"

Abruptly, she cut him off. "I know what I said, thanks." She stood up, wiped her hands on her coveralls, and let her long blonde hair out of its tie. "I just think…maybe I was wrong."

He rocked back on his heels, trying to calm himself down, pursed his lips. "Okay, I'll bite, why were you wrong?"

"I see you." Edward opened his mouth to argue, she held up a hand to stop him. "Hear me out here. In the past I always viewed eternity as a curse. I have people with me, sure, but it just never seemed to be enough."

"But there was always Emmett…"

At this, she smiled. "Yes, and I love him. Without bounds. But what I needed to see in order for me to realize that maybe this isn't such a horrible way of life after all was that sort of boundless love in someone else."

"But you hated Bella…"

"I never hated her." He raised his eyebrows; Rosalie simply flicked a hair off her shoulder. "I was jealous. Of what I believed her to be giving up. That blinded me from seeing what the two of you really had."

"And magically you're okay with this now?"

"Damn it Edward, listen to me. Esme was dead, Carlisle was alone and I kept thinking that all this was for your human. A girl who didn't know what she wanted, but was willing to let people die until she figured it out."

"She always knew."

"I wasn't willing to see it." She gave her brother an apologetic smile. "I can be a bit stubborn…"

"I get it though. Your being open minded about this. Giving her the chance you never gave Bella."

"On one level I know I made a grave mistake with Bella. On another, I see something in her. Something that reminds me of my past. It's heartbreaking."

His next sentence caught in his throat. He'd selectively forgotten how eerily similar Rosalie's past was with Arielle's. "You're right." He said slowly. "And I need to get my head on straight."

"Edward, him being with someone else won't change the fact that she died…it won't bring her back."

"I know." He took a deep breath "I just knew her so long. I was there when he changed her…I expected him to hurt like I'm hurting."

Her voice grew quiet, her golden eyes soft. "Do you hurt when you're with Bella?"

"Not as much." He admitted honestly

"Love heals."

"Do you think he's in love with her?"

"No. But I think he could be. And I think, after all he's done for us…that he deserves moments where he doesn't hurt as much either…"

"When did you get so insightful?"

"About the same time you got so intolerant."

"Cold Rose."

"Icy." She agreed "Think about it." And saying nothing more, she ducked back under the car to finish her work.

* * *

The drive home was long, and I found that I had nothing to say. Confusion roared inside me, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure what to do about it. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, stepping harder on the gas. Esme. We'd been married the first time we made love. She'd insisted on it. The night was warm, there were candles and flowers. Things reminiscent of a different era. Sweet, gentle things, as she was. The night was endless, and I remember how seemingly flawless everything seemed to go. I felt my pulse quicken, watching as she let her head fall back, her eyes close. She gripped my hips, and I let my lips run up her chest, her throat, to where her mouth waited to mate with mine. Slow, tender…and worlds apart from the fiery redhead seated beside me now. I hated myself for it.

"Carlisle, if you hold that steering wheel any tighter it's going to come right off."

I glanced down at my hands. She was, of course right. Loosing my grip, I saw I had indeed left marks.

"What's bothering you?" she asked me softly

"I'm…I'm just feeling…" I was lost for words

"confused?" she supplied helpfully

"Yes, quite."

"I'm not expecting anything from you…" I said nothing; Arielle continued "You've given me everything I could need."

What had I given her? Immortality? How could she need it when she hadn't even know it existed? "You're confusing me more." I admitted halfheartedly

"You proved to me that it doesn't have to be…evil. That life doesn't have to constantly feel wrong…nor do I need to live in a constant state of fear."

I exhaled, finally understanding. "There's much, much more."

Arielle nodded "A taste was enough to prove that to me. I'll have more."

Part of me desperately longed to be the one to give it to her. The internal war raged on in my thoughts. For once, I didn't want to do the responsible thing. I wanted to be the child I never got to be. I spoke the words without thinking.

"Let me show you. I can give you the stars."


	9. Faultlines

**Author's Note: Let me know if I went too OOC here. I feel like I may have...**

* * *

There were lights on in the house when he pulled into the driveway, and the only sound that ensued was the soft drift of music listing out the window.

"Edward is playing." I observed aloud.

Arielle shut her eyes, inhaling slowly. "It's beautiful."

I smiled in spite of myself. "Hopelessly romantic."

"Tchaikovsky? Isn't it?"

I was impressed, almost against my will. "Indeed."

"I wish I could play like that." She sighed, almost wistfully

"You have forever to learn."

"I do…don't I?"

I nodded "Let's go in…maybe Edward will teach you tonight."

Opening the door, Arielle stepped from the car. Her jeans were torn and still wet from being strewn in the snow; my shirt was far too large for her thin frame.

I moved to join her, for I knew the second we walked into the house there would be awkward questions to answer for. Arielle froze, and a split second later, I smelled it too. Our house was generally considered to be haunted. Kids kept away from it, and it was too far off the beaten path for an adult to just be taking a leisurely stroll. Yet, I was sure there was a human walking up the way to our home. And I had a newborn vampire standing at my side.

"Arielle, please go in the house. Before he's too close."

She was seemingly paralyzed. Finally she managed to find her voice. "It's not just anyone walking up that path…"

And I understood the look of fear in her eyes now. It wasn't that she was afraid of attacking…she was terrified of the man walking towards us. Out of nowhere, Alice was at my side, taking Arielle's arm, leading her into the relative safety of home. I remained behind, awaiting our guest.

He was handsome, with long sweeping dark hair, and crystal blue eyes. He walked with a slight swagger, like he believed himself to be better than everyone around him. "Dr Cullen." He greeted me; his voice was lyrical, wisps of a brogue hanging on the edges of his words. He reeked of cheap vodka; his fingers were yellowed from continuous use of nicotine.

"You seem to know who I am…" My tone was cold, it fit my mood "Who the hell are you?"

"Preston Marx." He said quickly offering his hand "I was told you were the person I should find concerning my missing wife."

"Arielle?"

"She left my home… a few days ago. I was told a woman resembling her was seen with you shortly after."

"Did she leave your home…or did you throw her from it?" I left the rest unspoken _After you tried to kill her._

"That's none of your concern."

"It's become my concern. See, I'm looking at it like this." I took a step closer to him, looking directly into his eyes. "No one should ever lay a hand on someone they care for. When you hurt someone like that it destroys everything love stands for. You made a vow, and from my point of view, you've also broken it."

"I want to see my wife."

"She's gone."

"Don't lie to me." He said each word coldly, with growing force.

"You can no longer see her. This is not optional."

"She is MY wife."

"I don't care." And I turned to walk into my house, pleased with the return of my self control; I'd never truly hated anyone until this moment.

"Don't walk away from me!"

I turned back to him, my expression blank "We have nothing more to discuss."

Preston spat on me. Gingerly, I wiped my face, saying nothing, and I turned to leave again.

"NO ONE WALKS AWAY FROM ME!"

I didn't think, only reacted. I reeled back, and punched him in the face. Somehow I'd managed to maintain a minimal amount of self-control, and he remained conscious. Though I was sure I'd broken his nose. It was bleeding profusely, but he seemed unfazed. Preston pulled back his arm, but I was quicker, grabbing him to stop it. "You might want to rethink that."

He stepped back, attempting to wrench himself out of my grip "Stay away from here." And I released him, watching him disappear into the night. Using the outdoor spigot, I washed his blood from my hands, making sure I'd gotten it all before returning inside.

As I stepped over the threshold, I instantly felt eyes turn towards me. Not one person pretended to not know what had just taken place outside.

"I'm going upstairs." I announced to no one in particular

"Carlisle, do you want-" Bella began to speak

"No" I cut her off "I don't want anything."

I climbed each stair deliberately, and reaching my room, fought the urge to slam the door.

I took three deep breaths before the knock came.

"Bella, please I really just need a minute."

"It's not Bella." Arielle spoke softly, and took a moment to glance around my bedroom.

The wide window was draped with curtains, a handsome mahogany desk sitting bellow it. Across was the bed I hadn't lain in for years. Colors faded from muted aqua's to deep greens. It was all Alice's doing, personally I couldn't have cared less what the room looked like, I spent so little time in it. "What you did down there…You didn't have to."

"I made you a promise. And even if I hadn't…" I swallowed, looking for the right words. "Well, I wanted to."

"Carlisle…you broke his nose."

And I laughed. "I enjoyed it immensely." She joined me, her laugh ringing low and lyrical through the room. "He won't hurt you again."

Her hands were wrapped around my waist I turned, caught her face in my hands. "I'm not afraid anymore." Her statement was simple; the whisper hurried "I am with you." I kissed her softly, brow, cheeks, and lips. As the steam began to build, she tipped her head back. She found my mouth with hers, soft again, soft so we could both sink deep.

I let my fingers skim up into her hair, as she murmured something else that tasted sweet against my lips. Even through the sweetness, I recognized the need. She moaned once, lifted an arm to hook around me and quivered as my hands circled down. Her trembles went to shudders, her breath to sobbing. Her surrender, to me and to herself, was arousing beyond imagining. I spun her around, lowered her onto the bed. Her breath was short, but her eyes stayed on mine.

"Ya tebya lyublyu" I practically cried it, knowing she couldn't know how much of myself I'd just offered and knowing I couldn't go back from this point. As I gripped her hips, I fought for control, to hold the moment, and so slipped slowly inside her, I knew I didn't want to go back. Even as her breath caught, caught again, I saw her smile. Undone, I captured her curved lips. Surrounded by her, drowning in her, I let myself take the pleasure, take the hope.


	10. On Love, In Sadness

**Author's Note: Ex-Wifey...I wrote this one with you in mind. :) Give me hell if there's not enough details. **

* * *

"We have to go back downstairs and face them at some point."

"What for? I could lay here forever."

"You'd never learn to play the piano that way…"

A tiny grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You're always right"

"I revel in it." I dragged myself from the warmth of bed, releasing my grip on her. "Grab a shirt or something from my closet until we find Alice. She can give you something to wear."

"Don't you think my walking down there in your clothes will cause them to ask questions?"

I smiled at her naivety, at her youth. She had so much to learn. "They already know."

Arielle pondered this for a moment, and then sighed. "Alice can see the future."

"And Edward can read her mind. So a third of them know without even opening their mouths."

"How do you get any privacy around here?" she quipped

"Really, you don't. We manage just fine without it."

I'm sure you-"

But what she was sure of, I never found out, a loud knock on my door interrupted us.

"Cover any naked asses. I'm opening this door." Alice cried out. I rolled my eyes; Arielle stifled a giggle and yanked on my too-large-for-her shirt. Momentarily, I forgot to breathe. It skimmed the tops of her knees, you couldn't see her hands, the sleeves were doing a job of hiding them, and the neckline was far too deep. The blue was a nice offset for her red hair. She was going to have to keep it. It just looked to good on her. I pulled on my fallen jeans, and gave Alice the go ahead.

The first few words out of her mouth were the last few I had been thinking.

"Blue is a good color for you."

Arielle smiled, lifting her arm as if to see for herself. The sleeves flopped lifelessly away.

"Well, I suppose that's something to remember then."

Alice turned to me, I took a deep breath. Time to face the music.

"You've got to come downstairs."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know."

"We have to decide…" she trailed off, lost in thought

"Where we're going to go next." I finished

"Wait, we're leaving?" Arielle asked, suddenly startled

"We have to, love. Preston is not going to stop looking for you simply because I've broken his nose. In fact, I'm afraid I may have made it worse."

"How…how so?" the fear was back in her eyes. Her voice shook as she forced out the words.

"He knows you're with me now. Why else would I stand up for you like that?"

"I'll leave." She stated decisively. "You should not have to uproot your entire lives because of me."

"No." It was not me that spoke this time, but Alice. "We're a family. We all go together."

Arielle looked to me to support her choice. I shook my head, speaking decisively "If you think I'm going to let you run off on your own now, think again."

She smiled softly, and took my hand. "That's very noble of you."

"Actually, it's selfish. I won't let you go."

"Then it's settled." Alice stated impatiently. "We leave together. Now can we go downstairs, please?"

I nodded, following her from the room. Arielle gripped my fingers tightly, I tried not to wince. She wasn't aware of her own strength, and this wasn't the time to make it known. In the living room, my family was scattered about, clearly in the midst of an argument.

"I think it's too soon to go back there…" came Bella's whispered tones

"Back where?" I found myself asking, and joined the group, taking a seat on the floor.

"Forks." Edward said simply

"I…I don't know." Rosalie whispered "It's not like you forget people after a year."

"At least we wouldn't have to go to high school again."

"Once was enough." Bella said with a laugh, Edward raised his eyebrows.

"Do you have any idea how many times I've done high school?"

Everyone laughed. Finally, I spoke "What about the house in Portland?"

"There's a thought…"

"Oregon?" Arielle muttered "I've never been there. I've never left Britain. I don't have a passport."

"Easily remedied." Jasper said quietly with a small smile and a wink at Bella.

"We haven't used that house in fifty years. It's a safe bet." Emmett noted

"And it'll be close enough for Jake to visit Forks and check on the pack if he wanted"

Arielle looked momentarily confused, and then noticed the dog curled in the corner with long shaggy russet colored fur. "Jake?" she asked no one in particular

At the sound of his name, the dog trotted out of the room, and a second later, a boy Arielle had never seen before waltzed in. His hair was long, and the same shade of brown that the dog's fur had been.

"I'm Jake" he said smoothly, resuming his place on the floor. "I'm a werewolf."

"Oh, okay" she let out a nervous laugh "He's a werewolf. I'm a vampire. My human ex-husband is stalking me…and this is just…an everyday occurrence here huh?" the fear burned in her eyes, I caught her eyeing the door, ready to bolt. I tightened my grip around her fingers. Under my breath, I whispered "Don't even think about it"

The room had grown quiet, All eyes in the room were focused on me, yet it was Bella thankfully that spoke.

"It does take some getting used to. And I think…overall, you've taken it pretty well."

"Exceptionally." I agreed

"So…vampires and werewolves are…friends?"

Jake shook his head. "This werewolf is friends with these vampires. Because he's in love with the youngest of them."

Arielle looked around widely, trying to decide who could possibly be the youngest. Then she remembered that tiny face, the steady heartbeat. "Renessme?"

He nodded, and then smiled at her poorly concealed look of disgust. "Arielle, do you know what imprinting is?"

"Not in the least." She admitted honestly. I glanced over at her, some of the fear had melted in her eyes and she was clearly anxious to learn, hungry for information.

"Its something ingrained in animals. When they see the person they're meant to spend the rest of their lives with…something just clicks and they know, without words, without actions. It's just known to both parties involved."

"Sort…sort of like love at first sight then?"

Edward laughed "Bella, sometimes she reminds me so much of you, it's scary."

Bella smiled. "I did say that…didn't I?"

"I think those were your exact same words actually." Jacob said with a small reminiscing smile.

"So…you imprinted on…Bella's daughter?" Arielle asked, stunned, but smiling "If it had been my daughter, I would have killed you."

The whole room glanced from Bella to Jake, and back again. "I nearly did." She finally admitted

"So…Portland then?" Rosalie asked softly, taking us back on topic.

"Yes." I agreed looking carefully from Arielle to Rose, watching the unspoken words, the quiet movements.

"I can have a passport for her in a matter of hours."

"Good, good." I said slowly, waving my hand absently. "Alice, do you think you could scrounge up some clothing for Arielle?"

She nodded a bright smile on her face. "Of course!" and beckoned to the redhead, leading the way up the stairs.

When they had gone, I turned back to the remaining members of my family. "Just how much did you tell them Edward?"

"Not much. Enough so they'd understand why."

I felt the relief flood through me. They didn't need to know the gory details of Arielle's past until she was ready to tell them. "Keep it that way. When she's ready, everyone will know."

And one by one, they filed away, ready to pick up the pieces and move forward with our lives.

* * *

I'd chartered a private plane for the occasion, feeling it unwise to risk Arielle around humans on a commercial flight. Rosalie sat in the cockpit, slender fingers coaxing the machine into flight. Alice had dressed Arielle in a deep ocean blue, the dress practically melting into her skin, leaving very little to the imagination, as I'm sure she intended.

"Er – I won't lie to you. I don't love airplanes." Arielle whispered in a voice I was sure only I could hear.

I sat, gestured wordlessly to the chair beside me. "It'd take a lot more then a plane crash to kill you now…"

She smiled and lightly touched my face. Everything froze, then as if on a projection screen I could see my memory, clear as day.

_It was raining again in Forks, Esme was artistically arranging flowers in a vase, and I was seated at my desk, researching for the upcoming battle. The wolves had joined us. This had to be an advantage. But still I was worried, we were outnumbered. I doubted if all of us would make it through alive. She turned, offered me a small smile. _

"_Tell me what's on your mind then love." She sat on the corner of my desk, waiting for me to speak. _

"_I can't help but wonder what'll happen if one of us dies doing this." _

_She brushed a loose hair away from my face, leaning close. "I want you to promise me something." _

_I caught the gleam in her eye, wondered what she could possibly be asking of me. I'd give her anything. And she knew it. _

"_If it's me. If I die…I want you to promise me that you won't spend the rest of your days in mourning."_

"_Esme, what a stupid thing to say. Don't even think it could be you." _

"_We well know I'm no fighter. The odds are against us Carlisle. Promise me." _

"_I can't." _

"_I need you to. I won't go into this knowing there's a possibility you could walk away from it with nothing to look forward to in your life." _

_I took a deep breath, hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst. "I promise."_

Arielle jumped up, backed away. "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have seen that. I can't control it."

"Your power is growing stronger." I muttered my thoughts still on Esme's words. "You were able to project the flashback to me as well."

"Well, it was your memory."

"But still, that didn't happen the first time…"

"Aye, that's true."

I took her hand in my own, lacing our fingers together. "Don't worry about it." I said softly "In a few hours, we're starting over."

I glanced around the plane; Edward had headphones stuck in his ears, a pencil in hand, blank manuscript on the table before him. Alice was watching as Jasper played Bella in chess, a look of strain on her face, trying not to give away any answers. Emmett had a newspaper open, checking the score of the game he'd missed last night. Renessme and Jake slept, curled in the corner, away from the lights. They were content. Happy to be together, it didn't matter where we were.

"Are you alright?" she whispered

And I thought about it. "Yes." I kissed her then, hard, trying to put many thoughts I couldn't make into words into the action. I didn't care who saw. Finally I was going to be okay with this. I needed to be. Because life goes on.


	11. Silver Lining

The driveway was long, surrounded by trees, drenched in snow. As the house rose in the distance, I slowed the rented car down, allowing for the full effect. The house grew like a giant in the darkness, I gauged Arielle's reaction. A grin was tugging at the ends of her lips, and I could tell she was pleased. Perhaps, slightly overwhelmed. I slid the car into the garage. And we walked inside. The center of the hall was encompassed by a sweeping marble staircase, a deep redwood floor. There was art on the walls, but none of it familiar, none of it…homey. The house itself, had been maintained in our absence, yet still it gave off the distinct impression of emptiness.

"This is stunning." Arielle whispered, taking my hand. "It really is like a fresh start…"

I smiled at her. "That's certainly one way to look at it."

"A new perspective on life." A youthful look crossed her face, a full smile, as she climbed the stairs, calling for me to join her. "Show me the rest!"

I had to laugh, the excitement was contagious. "There's time." I said softly. "Everyone else will be here soon…Bella's never seen this house either."

Slowly, seductively she walked back down the staircase, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I forgot we were all alone…like on the mountain top…"

"Surrounded by snow…complete and total freedom."

She nipped at my bottom lip, catching it between her teeth. For a brief moment, it stung, but I didn't care. Clamping my hands around her waist, I deepened the kiss, fiercely holding her, not wanting to let go.

"If I had it my way, I'd spend about half my time doing that."

"I was just thinking something along those very same lines."

Emmett's booming laugh hit my ears before I could see anyone approaching the house, and I knew our time alone was over. "I'm going to have to help them move some things into the house."

She nodded. "I can help too…"

"Or you can let Alice give you a tour of the house. I know she's dying to show it off…and Bella's not really one to appreciate style."

Arielle smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"That's mean. I don't have no appreciation for it…just not the patience." Bella and Alice had joined us, and before I could utter a word of protest, Arielle was wrenched from my grip and dragged up the stairs, excitedly whispering design plans for the entire house. That was the beauty of not needing to sleep. We had all night to play and turn the house back into a home.

"It's nice to be back here." Edward observed

"It really is. And our women are running wild like artists with blank canvases."

"You care for her."

I turned, looking my son directly in the eyes. "I do. And I know you don't approve…but somewhere inside I know Esme would've wanted me to move on. She wouldn't want me…or you… to become Marcus."

"I…you're right. She really wouldn't have."

I said nothing else, moved to go up the stairs, investigate the state of my former bedroom.

"You're in love with her."

I spun on the spot, facing him again. "I am."

"She doesn't know."

I shook my head "She's not ready to know yet."

"She's not a breakable as you think." He whispered it, and without another word, darted up the stairs, to answer Bella's summons.

I proceeded to make my way through the rest of the house, knowing where Edward would want his piano, imagining where I could put my desk and seemingly endless collection of books. Even from across the house, the bloodcurdling scream reached my ears. And there was not a single doubt in my mind from whom it had come. In an instant, I was by her side. I found her in what once had been my bedroom. Her hand grasping, breaking the handsome wooden frame. Her eyes were glazed over, she was frozen. Everyone had poured into the room, waiting to see what was wrong. I stepped closer, whispering her name. "Arielle?"She didn't respond, and concern flooded through me. I reached out to her, gently caressing her arm, and I saw what she was seeing.

_Arielle wasn't crying. She didn't even feel the need to cry as she felt him slid from the bed and stumble towards the kitchen. She attempted to force herself into sleep, but found she couldn't even shut her eyes without reliving the memory. So she stood, slowly on shaky legs and pulled a pair of loose sweats over her aching body. As she walked past him she heard the all too familiar sound of bottles crashing together, and the sharp scent of vodka filled her nostrils._

"_Where are you going?" he demanded to know, without turning around_

"_To…" she stuttered over her words, she hadn't had a complete plan yet, just known she needed to leave. "uh...out."_

"_Awfully late don't you think Mrs. Marx?"_

"_No, Preston, I don't think. And I don't live here anymore. Remember?" she snapped and lifted her coat from where she'd tossed it earlier._

_He moved faster than she'd expected, and had grabbed her throat, trapping her between his body and the counter. "I do" he seethed, traces of the alcohol lingering on his breath_

"_I don't care" she choked out_

"_Well, maybe you should start caring" he yelled and connected his palm with her cheek. She struggled violently, screaming, fighting his blows. "You're going to listen to your husband." From his pocket, Preston pulled a switchblade. With his thumb, he flicked it open, the silver blade glinting in the light._

"_You're not my husband anymore." She spat before thinking_

"_You think I give a damn what a bloody piece of paper says?!" he screamed it and drove the knife into her stomach. Arielle recoiled in pain and the tears finally began to fall._

She snapped herself back to reality, dragging me with her. I searched for my voice.

"Please leave us now." I whispered to the rest of my family who had remained in the room, staring at us, eyes filled with fear. One by one, they filed from the room, Rosalie shot me one last glance before I nodded her off.

"He can't get you here. There's an ocean between us."

"I'm terrified of this." She admitted honestly, taking a step away from me "I…I'm terrified of us."

"I could never hurt you like that. You need to see it."

"I know." She moved closer to me, placing her hands over mine. "I'm scared because the last time I felt this way…I wound up…and this is worse. I couldn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now."

"Don't try."

"You've given me so much…and I can't even find the right words to express…"

"I know without words. You've no need to speak them."

"Let me show you…"

And she was kissing me, renewed passion burning on her lips, fired in her soul. I broke away, stepped back.

"No." I whispered

"But why…I-"

"I won't do this with Preston on your mind. I never want there to be any doubt who you share that bed with." I held her close, not wanting to let go. "And I won't have you do it because you feel obligated to."

She nodded taking shallow breaths, trying to return a relative calm. We said nothing more, she simply clung to me, and I held on, just as steadfast, protecting.


	12. Unchained Melody

The house transformed before my eyes, Arielle's input combined with Alice's turned it into something almost unrecognizable. Yet, it was beautiful, and it became…home. I sat in what had been deemed my study, a faded volume of a medical journal clutched in my hands. I heard the front door open, counted to three and waited for them to find me. This house was better when everyone was home.

"Carlisle" Bella said quietly entering the room.

I set the book aside, looking my daughter in the eyes. "Something is troubling you?"

"No, no nothing bad. While we were hunting just now…there were humans on the trail…"

"Did someone attack them? Did Arielle?"

"No, she caught the trail, but Rosalie and I stopped her…"She paused, forming her words. "Why could I, why could you and Rosalie fight it…but Jasper even Edward sometimes have such a hard time?"

"One of many unanswered questions. I really don't know."

"Oh." She looked puzzled. "I was just wondering."

"Understandable…Bella let me ask you something…"

"Anything."

"Based on what you saw today…do you think she's going to have a hard time with this?"

She shrugged "I don't know. Honestly. I do know she was pretty broken up when she realized what she'd almost done. She doesn't want to disappoint you."

"I think maybe she needs to have a little more faith in herself."

Bella nodded "Maybe you should find her…"

"Maybe I should."

It was easy to lose someone in a house so spacious, and I wondered where Arielle had gotten too. I stuck my head into her bedroom, which I hadn't seen since she painted it. The walls had been painted palest gold and her new bed, with its handsome frame, was the only piece of furniture in the room. And currently it was pushed against a far wall, leaving the hardwood floor exposed.

I watched her silently. She stood before the window, the curtains were drawn, and wisps of twilight snuck in through the cracks, shedding sporadic light about the room, while everything else remained still, unmoving. She had changed into a simple tee-shirt, sweatpants. If Alice had seen her, she would have freaked. Then there was the thing I noticed last. Ballet shoes. Old and faded though they were, they looked used, loved, cherished.

And the music started.

Arielle moved with it. No, Arielle floated with it. Tchaikovsky again, I noticed. Romeo and Juliet. She danced with a grace and grandeur I'd never seen before, even professionally. She rose up; _en pointe_ arms held high, eyes closed. She was Juliet. Passion flowed through the dance, loss, despair. When the final chord struck, resolution of the prior dissonance, a minor chord, she slid to the ground, a beautiful pile of limbs and hair, compressed into herself. Had she been able, I'm sure she would have been crying. I was hesitant to say anything, to ruin the moment, but I couldn't help myself.

"I didn't know you could do that…"

Startled, she looked up at me. "I…it's…just something I did when I was younger." she spoke quietly, slowly removing her shoes.

"You're exceptional."

One corner of her mouth moved up in a half smile. "You flatter me."

"No, I tell the truth. And I'll see that you'll have a studio, a room filled with mirrors, a ballet barre on every wall." gently, she brushed her lips against my cheek.

"Dance with me Carlisle."

Barefooted, she laced her arms around my neck, and I reached back, starting the next song on the CD. The tune was more modern, it had lyrics, and slightly more speed. The male voice carried forward as I clamped my hands around her waist and moved with the notes. She kissed me, muttering something incomprehensible, but it tasted sweet.

"What are you thinking about?" I whispered reflectively. The room had gone dark, but I could see her eyes, completely focused on mine.

"You." She said simply "Only you. I never want to think of anything else." I pulled her closer, crushing her body to mine. "I've fallen in love with you. And I'm not sure what to do about it."

"I think telling me was a good place to start. I told you days ago."

She released her grip on me, her eyebrows shot up, evident panic etched on her face. I didn't need Edward's skills to tell me she was wondering how she could possibly have missed such a crucial statement.

"The final night in London." I told her with a smile "_Ya tebya lyublyu."_

Her eyes softened, I knew she remembered the words. She shook her head. "Tell me again." She demanded "In English. I need to hear it again."

"I love you Arielle. After everything I never imagined I could feel this way again. It's frightening and exhilarating all at once. Sometimes when you walk into a room it's like I just can breathe. Everything catches up with me and I want nothing but you. I can't imagine anything without you anymore."

I trailed my fingers down her torso, teased, trailed lightly up again. On a sigh, she laid her hand over mine, encouraging the caress. This was the best way, I thought, to end a long, hard day. Body to body, sliding away in the dark. We swayed with the music that had long since ended. Easily I swept her off the floor, carried her to where our bed awaited. She went soft, breath catching, body fluid as wine. My hands were free to touch, to take, to tease. She shuddered, seemed to shimmer as I slipped into her. She breathed out my name as she rolled up and over. So she rose up, and up trembling as she clung, one moment, just one moment more to that breathless peak. Holding, as she felt me climb with her, hold with her.

In the dark, she smiled, clutched my hand, bringing it to her lips. "I love you too."


	13. Jaded

Author's Note: I'm thinking the rating should be upped. Please let me know.

* * *

Arielle was sitting on Carlisle's bed, legs tucked beneath her, book in hand, completely absorbed, desperately trying to shake off her latest flashback. Only moments before, she'd been happy and felt accomplished. She'd survived her first day at Portland University without mauling or killing anyone. Now she was shaking, her body felt colder than ever. So when Rosalie walked into the room, she didn't realize it until the blonde began to speak. "Arielle…can I have a moment of your time?"

She was startled, never having had a real conversation with Rosalie. "Er, yeah sure." She said softly, setting the battered copy of _Gone with the Wind_ aside "What's on your mind?"

"I was…well I was just walking past your room and I couldn't help but notice…well how totally miserable you look right now. I thought maybe I could help…"

Arielle forced a small smile, speaking in muted tones. "I'm pretty sure this is something I need to handle on my own. These flashbacks keep reminding me of things I'd rather not think about. As if I can't remember them perfectly as it is. I'd like to forget."

Rosalie nodded "I know what you mean."

Arielle shook her head. "I'm sorry but how could you possibly have any idea?"

She smiled "Carlisle never told you how he found me then?"

"No…and now I'm sorry I never asked."

"Well, I was born 1915 in Rochester NY and technically I 'died' there too. I was only 18. My father worked for a bank owned by the Kings. The owner's son Royce showed interest in me after me met when I brought my father a forgotten lunch. In two months we were engaged. I was so young. Beautiful and self absorbed. And I always got what I wanted. And I wanted a rich husband who would let me live like a Princess. And I wanted a child. One who would be as beautiful as me, or as handsome as Royce. Days away from my wedding, I went to visit a friend. She had a young son named Henry. He had the cutest dimples." Rosalie paused, breathing slowly, reminiscing. "As I walked home in the dark that child was all I could think about. I ran into Royce and his friends. They were drunk. Royce bragged about how beautiful I was before they raped me. Before they beat me and left me for dead."

Stunned, Arielle had no response. "Rosalie…I never…"

"How could you? Don't be sorry. I told you because I wanted you to know that I do know what you're feeling. And Carlisle may kill me for saying this, but you deserve to know, the memories really don't fade. We use other things to block them out…to put them away. But they're never gone."

"Somehow I knew that was going to be the case. I knew I'd have to live knowing that he's gotten away with it…with the emotional pain of it."

The blonde nodded, Arielle continued "What…what happened to Royce and his friends?"

"Three days after Carlisle found me on that desolate stretch of road, and changed me, I killed them all."

"You…really?"

"I didn't drink their blood, I was careful not to spill any either, not knowing if I could control myself. But I killed them all. Saving Royce for last. He knew, I think. Before I came for him that this was going to be his end. He hired guards. I killed them too. I don't regret it."

"I should imagine not."

"Don't judge me too harshly. You're a far better person than I. It happened to me once…I'm under the impression it was a lot longer for you."

Arielle nodded, swallowing hard. "I can't judge you. Not when I spend half my time wishing for the opportunity to kill Preston."

"Carlisle would understand if you did. I'm sure he'd like to do it himself."

"I won't let him. This cannot become his fight."

"You're much stronger than I thought. That resilience will serve you well."

"I don't want anyone else hurt because of my past. Especially not-" Abruptly she stopped saying nothing more.

Rosalie finished the sentence. "Carlisle. He's not exactly breakable though"

"No, I know that." She mused "But I don't think I could bear the thought of losing him either. I just won't risk it."

"You're in love with him." She observed

"Desperately" was her simple response

"Does he know it?"

At this, Arielle smiled slightly "Yes, he does."

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

She shrugged "Er- well honestly I hadn't planned to change what's working so well."

Rosalie laughed "You could make it better."

Arielle bit down on her lip, pondering this. "It gets better?"

She laughed again. "Oh, so much." Rosalie screwed up her face, looking pensive "Yes, I think he'll have to marry you."

"Uh-uh. No way. I was married once, and I've no desire to travel that road again."

"Carlisle would never hurt you."

"If I've learned one thing, it's that people are far too unpredictable to trust like that."

"Well, that's stupid." She stated firmly "How can you love without trust?"

"I do trust him. To a point. I'm indebted to him with my life. But things can change in an instant. I've learned not to expect things anymore."

"That's rather sad."

Arielle shrugged "Because of what's happened, my perspective on life is rather jaded. It can't be helped."

"It can, Arielle. Damn it, it should."

The redhead sighed. "Am I completely in the wrong here?"

"Yes" Rosalie admitted truthfully "but you have good reason." She paused, searching for words. "It will pass. Much more quickly if you were to make an effort."

"Then I'll make an effort."

The corners of her mouth tugged upwards in half a smile. "Very little surprises Carlisle anymore. If you want to really get him, you'll need to think outside the box."

"I'm a creative kind of girl." She said with a wink "I'll figure it out"

"Of that, I have no doubts. You'll knock his socks off."

"Hmm, I was thinking more along the lines of his pants."

Collapsing in giggles Rosalie wrinkled her perfect nose. "You're too much" and with that statement, left Arielle alone with her thoughts and plans.

* * *

It was nice to be back in the hectic comings and goings of a busy hospital. Nicer still to feel useful and help others.

"Dr Cullen?" I spun around, looking for the source of the call, and found myself face to face with a young nurse I'd never seen before.

"Yes?"

She stammered for a moment, I was sure her tongue had momentary glued itself to the roof of her mouth. I was used to it, for it happened often, but I still had to bite back the laugh.

"There's a girl in trauma one…she's pretty banged up, and she won't tell us what happened. I was hoping you could speak to her…maybe get the story."

I nodded and reached out to take her chart.

I heard the nurses whispering as I walked away. _"So he's not married?" _

"_I think he might have been." _

"_Who would divorce that? Stupid woman." _

"_Maybe he's not such a nice man after all…" _

"_Jackie, who are you kidding, he's a saint. All those adopted kids…" _

"_He's not divorced, he's widowed."_

"_Do you know if he's seeing anyone?" _

"_I think he might be. Either that or he thinks he's too good looking to date any of us…"_ she trailed off, I was too far away to hear the rest of the conversation. Instead, I glanced down at the file between my fingers. It was as thick as a phone book, and the patient was only six years old. I could smell the trouble a mile away.

"Well Miss Matthews. My name is Dr. Cullen. Would you like to tell me what happened here?" I asked her softly, a smile on my face.

"My name's Paige, please. Nobody calls me Miss Matthews" she responded with a giggle. "I fell down."

I flipped through a couple of pages in the folder "It seems you fall down a lot…" She nodded; I pressed her for more information "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head no, and stared at her toes. I made a quick notation, and then sat on the bed next to her. "That arm looks pretty bad. Does it hurt?" It was hard not to like her, she reminded me a lot of Arielle, from her fiery red hair and piercing green eyes down to her quiet and broken demeanor.

"A little." She admitted

"You know my…" I wasn't sure what to call Arielle when I described her to other people "friend." I decided "She got pushed around pretty bad by her husband. Did something like that happen to you?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it." The girl spoke quietly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Why not?"

"'Cause then my second family will throw me away. Just like my first one did."

Rapidly I flipped pages in the folder, saw that she had come to America through an international adoption program. The note read that her parents had given her up when the father had been deemed dangerous. "Your first family didn't throw you away. Your mom wanted you to be safe."

"I don't 'member her. But my new mom says that they didn't love me." A single tear slid out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. Gently I wiped it away.

"I'm sure she loved you very much. She wanted you to be safe. And the only way for her to do that was to let you go away."

"But my new family isn't very nice."

"Paige, tell me what happened."

"I got a B on my spelling test."

"That's very good. You should be happy."

"I'm not too good at spelling. But Daddy says I should get A's in everything." My throat had gone dry. I would never understand people. "He told me I needed to learn a lesson. And I got a spanking."

"What did your mom do?"

Paige shrugged "She told me to stop crying and grow up." She sniffled

"You don't have to go back there…"

She looked up at me through tear glazed eyes "But…but where will I go?"

I found I couldn't lie to her, as much as I wanted to. "I don't know sweetie. Someplace safe."

"Could I…Dr Cullen can I live with you?"

The question was straight forward, and heart wrenching. I wanted to be able to say yes. But I wasn't sure how Arielle was reacting around humans yet. "Maybe. But right now, I have to go talk to some grown-ups, and you're going to have to tell them the same story you just told me…okay?"

She nodded, wiping her face with the sleeve of her good arm. I walked away in a daze, looking for a phone. I called my home. I was grateful when Bella answered the phone.

"How was it today?"

"It went really well Carlisle, Arielle went to a bunch of classes at the University of Portland today. Jasper said she had no problems whatsoever. It seems she's only tempted when she's in a hunting mode."

I felt relieved to hear it. "There's a chance I'm bringing a child home."

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain later. I just needed to know if it would be alright."

"Well, as Arielle is currently in a crowed mall right now with Alice, I think she could be around one more human." I could see the sarcastic smile etched on my daughters face.

"Good. I should be home by eight. Make sure she hunts before I get home. I don't want to take any chances."

I put the phone back in its receiver and set out on a mission to find the hospital social worker.


	14. So Much to Say

Author's Note:Welcome to the first of many twists. Enjoy it!

* * *

Arielle resumed her reading trying to catch up on the extensive collection of American Literature she'd never read. And once again, she found herself interrupted.

"Carlisle says he's bringing a child home." Bella's statement was simple, and straightforward, Arielle looked up, clearly confused.

"A…human child?"

"Yes. Do you think…will it be a problem?"

"No. I think I found my self-control."

"Good. So, how was university? I've never gone."

"I like it, I've got this class on American Literature…and I really haven't read much of it…I'm intrigued."

Bella smiled. "I love books." She sighed "I would spend half my time reading if I could."

"They're fascinating. You should try and get to college."

"But instead, I get to redo high school."

"Maybe if we stay here long enough you'll get to go…"

Bella pondered this. "Yeah, maybe."

"Do you know why Carlisle is brining this child home?"

"Not a clue. He called to see how your first day had gone…then pretty much hung up on me. I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

"I suppose so." She replied on a sigh

"He thinks we should hunt first."

Arielle nodded "That's probably a good idea. If we hurry we should make it back in time" she dragged herself from bed and left the room on Bella's heels.

* * *

We never bothered to lock the house, not when it was so far off the beaten path. With Paige's tiny hand clasped within my own, and her tiny suitcase in my other, we walked up the driveway to the open door, I watched with amusement at her reaction to the sheer size of the home.

"This is where you live?" she asked, stunned

"Yes. Do you like it?" I asked her with a smile, already knowing the answer.

"It's so big."

Her innocence was astounding. "I suppose it is." I walked her up the stairs; my family awaited us in the magnificent foyer.

"Paige, this is Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Jake, Renessme and Arielle." She tugged on my sleeve; I bent down to listen to her whisper

"They're really pretty."

"You're pretty too, sweetheart."

She smiled at this, flashing brilliant tiny white teeth. "Thank you Dr. Cullen."

Arielle kept her distance; I could tell she wasn't breathing. Renessme had run to Paige and the two had engaged in a lively conversation about dolls. I moved to her, speaking without opening my mouth. "Are you okay?"

She nodded "I won't attack her."

"I never said you would. I asked if you were okay."

She shook her head. "No. I'm not." Her eyes were fixated on Paige, but the stare wasn't menacing, it was saddened, longing. "Look at her Carlisle. Tell me you don't see it."

I looked from Arielle to the tiny child and back again. I saw what I'd seen the first time around. Red hair ablaze, high slashing cheekbones, piercing green eyes. I was looking from mother to daughter.

"We need to talk."

Still in a daze, Arielle nodded and followed me into the study.

"Explain." I said simply. My voice sounding steadier than I felt.

"I was sixteen. A junior in secondary school with a fiancé that didn't have a job…not to mention beat the hell out of me on a regular basis. How could I possibly justify bringing a child into a home like that?"

I swallowed hard. "No, no you did the right thing."

"Why is she here Carlisle? And why is her arm in a sling?"

"How much do you know about the family that adopted her?"

"Next to nothing." She admitted "I knew they were Americans, but the adoption was closed and private through a foundation… I need you to tell me why she's here." I could tell she was holding her breath again, afraid of the answer.

"They were abusing her…physically, emotionally…" I couldn't say anymore, the words hurt as I forced them out. Arielle collapsed to the floor, forcing shallow sobbing breaths. I sat on the floor next to her, knowing nothing I could do or say in that moment would make things okay. She'd given up a child in the hopes of saving her from the life she was subjected to, and her daughter had been forced to endure it anyway. Finally she turned to me, a mixture of pain and sadness etched in her face "Thank you." She whispered "You saved me, you saved my daughter." She climbed into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I owe you more than I could ever describe…more that I could ever imagine."

A tiny voice, so like Arielle's interrupted us. "Dr Cullen…is this the friend you told me about?"

I nodded, beckoning her to join us. "She has hair like mine." The child observed, and I knew I'd have to tell her the truth. But as I opened my mouth to speak, Arielle spoke instead.

"That's because I'm your mom sweetie."

She backed away as I expected. "My first mommy?"

Arielle nodded, looking if possible, even more depressed.

"Why…why did you throw me away?"

"I would never throw you away. Paige, my little Paige…Daddy used to hurt me pretty badly…and I didn't want that for you. I wanted you to be safe."

"But I wasn't!" she sobbed "I got hurt too!"

Arielle got up, walking to her daughter brushing a loose hair from her face, wiping away tears. "Baby, if I had known I would have been there to save you in an instant."

"Dr. Cullen saved me."

"Dr Cullen saved me too." She whispered softly

"He's going to be my daddy. And you can be my mommy. And we can live happily ever after like in the stories."

Arielle smiled pulling the child into a tight embrace "Yes. We can."

I smiled, taking Paige's hand in my own. "Want to see your room?"

She nodded, excitement returning to her face. "Who will I share with?"

"You get it all to yourself."

She looked completely stunned "Really?"

"Yup." Arielle took my other hand, and we lead her to the pale gold room that had been deemed Arielle's, but we both knew she wouldn't be spending too much time in anymore."

"I get that whole bed?" she asked wide-eyed

"Unless you don't want it?"

She shook her head, and ran to it, wrapping herself in the thick blankets, a wide smile on her face. "Thank-you-so-much!"

Arielle didn't release the vice grip she had on my fingers, fear still clinging to her eyes.

"Can I find Renessme and see her toys now please?"

I nodded and she darted past us into the hallway, I turned back to Arielle and repeated my earlier question. "Are you okay?"

"Carlisle, there aren't words that can describe what's going through my head right now."

I pressed my lips to her forehead. "Don't try."

"Eventually we're going to have to tell her what we are. Or she'll figure it out on her own."

"Yes, I was thinking about that. But for now, it's not something we have to worry about."

She nodded, and I swept her up into my arms. "I'm going to take you to our room, and then I'm going to put our daughter to bed."

"I like the way that sounds…our room."

"Good. So do I." I smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'll be back soon."

I found Paige in Renessme's room, coloring with a brand new set of crayons.

"Look! She has green! I never drawed with green before."

I smiled, not wanting the moment to end. Her eyelids began to droop, and finally I felt the need to say something. "Bedtime." I said softly, yet decisively. The youngster nodded and climbed into my arms. Locking her hands round my neck she closed her eyes and fell asleep there and then. I slid her into bed and wandered towards my own room, where Arielle sat waiting.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

I shook my head. "No, why should you have told me about her? How could anyone have predicted something like this?"

"She's beautiful you know."

"Looks just like her mother. She has your green eyes."

"Yeah, she does…but she has her new father's compassion."

I sat next to her, hooking an arm around her waist. "Did I mention I love you?"

"Once or twice. And I haven't tired of hearing it."

"I haven't tired of saying it."

She sank deeper into my grip, comfortably relaxing, content to simply sit and hold. For now, we'd be okay.


	15. Fall For You

Author's Note: Thanks guys! :)

* * *

The weeks past quickly, I noticed that it was surprisingly easy for Arielle to be around Paige, something I was extremely proud of. With this thought clouding my mind, I walked into the hospital, donning a lab coat, and instantly I felt the men in suits approach from behind. One was tall, lanky with thinning brown hair. His mouth was set in a sneer. I wondered briefly if it always looked like that. The other was shorter, stocky. His hair was graying, but his face was kind.

"Dr Cullen."

It was a statement, not a question. "Can I help you gentlemen with something?"

"We're here about the child, Paige Matthews."

"What about her?" I responded quickly, defensively.

"We've received your application for permanent adoption."

"And, there's some sort of problem? I was granted temporary custody almost instantly."

"It does appear we have a slight issue."

"I have six other adopted children. And it's not as though I can't support my family financially…"

"The problem is the girl's mother, Arielle." They said bluntly.

"What of her?"

"Well, you've proven yourself to be a more than capable guardian, but Arielle gave up the child in the first place. This shows certain flakiness we feel we just cannot ignore."

I nodded, hurt boiling inside me. "Do you know why she gave her up in the first place?"

"No, but we hardly feel it's relevant."

"It's way beyond relevant. It's everything." I took a calming breath and prepared for the worst. "While she was pregnant, before, and after Arielle was physically, sexually and emotionally abused. She did not want that life for her daughter, so in the child's best interest, she placed her in a place where she believed her daughter would have a far better life."

The men looked momentarily speechless, and then finally the taller of the two spoke.

"We came today to deliver this subpoena. You'll have to appear in court and plead your case for formal adoption."

Slightly insulted, I took the paper he offered me, scanning it quickly. We're contested by her adoptive parents? The ones who broke her arm? What kind of sick…is this a joke?"

The short one shook his head, speaking quietly, almost apologetically. "No, I'm afraid not. But sir, the law is on your side."

I nodded, searching for my voice. "I need to get to work now."

"We understand. Due to the delicate nature of the case, the date was set early. You have one month."

I shook my head and walked away from them, thoughts reeling.

* * *

Preston paced his flat, determined to find out what happened to Arielle. The Cullen place was deserted, and when he'd asked around at the hospital, he was told that the kind Dr. Cullen had received an offer from a hospital back in the United States, and his children were very homesick so they decided to go back. He was told that the good Dr's home was somewhere on the Northwestern coast. Anger boiled bellow the surface of his cool exterior.

"Where did they go!" he rubbed his eyes, wincing slightly at the pain from his still broken nose. "And more importantly, what the hell are they!"

He had money, and therefore also had old family connections that allowed him access to the security taped of Heathrow international airport. He watched as the Cullen's snuck onto a charter plane in the middle of the night trying to escape something. Trying to escape him.

"No one walks away from Preston Marx!" he seethed and zoomed in on Carlisle's eyes. "Something is not right there." He sped up the footage, finding a clear shot of Arielle. "Her eyes were green." Preston muttered "Now…they're...red. Something is just not right."

And he sat at his computer, trying to piece together things that would never seem to make sense.

* * *

Arielle slipped a new box of crayons into Paige's backpack. Her daughter shoveled scrambled eggs into her mouth like food was going out of style.

"Momma, aren't you hungry?"

"No baby, not right now. I'm meeting Dr. Cullen later for food."

She smiled at the mention of Carlisle. "I like Dr. Cullen."

"I do too."

"I like all the Cullens." Paige stated firmly.

"They're hard not to like." She agreed

"Uncle Edward…Renessme's dad" she corrected "he said he would teach me how to play piano. Renessme can play the piano. She's really good at it." The child sighed wistfully. Of course Renessme with her exceptional learning ability would already have musical talent.

"You'll be really good too."

Her face brightened, she looked at her mother. "Really?"

"Of course sweetie, you can do anything."

She pushed the empty plate across the marble counter, back to her mother and lifted her school bag off the chair next to her. "My rucksack is green. I like green."

She listened to her daughter ramble on about the endless reasons to love the color green, and she felt a grin tug at the corners of her mouth. This was undoubtedly what it felt like to love without limits, without bounds, without guards. "Hurry up baby or we'll be late. You don't want to be late on the first day."

Paige looked startled and immediately stopped playing with the clips in her hair, taking her mothers hand.

"Momma, can we ride in your new car?"

Arielle smiled at this, her first decisive action as a Cullen, was to be taken by Carlisle to the dealership and where she had been forced to purchase a 2009 royal blue Mazda Miata.

"Sure, I guess we could do that."

Paige smiled too, and they made their way out of the house.

* * *

Standing on the emergency bay, I watched Arielle pull up in her new car. She had the top up, for it was drizzling lightly but even still, i knew that "Ostentatious." was the word Edward would have used to describe it. It didn't blend, but then again, neither did we. I winced when I heard the gears grind as she shifted from second back to first. I was going to have to really teach her how to drive a standard transmission.

"You don't look happy." She said quietly to me, stepping from the car.

"Our request for adoption is being contested."

Incredulous, she spoke "By who?"

"Her adoptive parents."

Arielle looked mutinous. "How! They can't possibly…"

"No they can't" I responded coolly "but we have to prove it to them legally. It helps that I wasn't the only doctor that treated her. Others can clearly state that she was being abused."

Arielle shuddered at the thought of it. "We'll be okay though right? They won't get her."

"No." I whispered it "They won't get her."

She kissed me, softly, tenderly. I wasn't sure what to expect next from her. I heard whispers as people walked past us.

"_Young love. Never lasts." _

"_A beautiful couple. People like that always wind up together." _

I smiled despite myself. "What do you think Arielle, how long will this last?"

She too smiled, I could tell she had also heard the whispering "Forever…and a day." She added as an after thought. I laced her fingers between my own, and walked towards her car. And laughed when she tossed me the keys. It reeked of fresh leather, the kind that crinkled when you sat on it. Smoothly I slid the car into first gear, and pulled out of the lot.

"So tell me, what's this big surprise you have planned…" she spoke softly, but excitement flickered in her eyes.

"That would ruin all the fun."

She laughed. "Incorrigible."

"No, you just don't like surprises."

"Too right I don't."

"Well, get used to it." Was my only response. By now, I had the car in fourth and we were cruising on a long stretch of road towards the heart of Portland.

"All this rain is depressing" Arielle said by way of changing the subject

"Yes" I agreed "But essential." She sighed nodding, as I turned the car into a tiny secluded parking lot. "Now, we walk."

"How far?"

"Just a few blocks. Tired love?"

"Never." She smiled "I was simply trying to figure out where we're going."

"You're going to have to be more creative than that if you want to get anything out of me"

Abruptly, she stopped. "Are you okay?" worry crawled into my face.

Without a single word, Arielle had fistfuls of my shirt in her hands, and her lips were on mine, cold and marble, demanding and draining.

"Creative enough for you?"

I smiled, despite myself. "No. And don't just stop like that! you scared me half to-"

"Surely not death!" she interrupted on a laugh, eyes still twinkling.

"Oh, how clever of you my little vixen." I gently touched my lips to hers "Soon enough little one." I whispered and resumed our journey.

We stopped in front of an old house, I was amused by her confused expression, and I paused to take a small set of keys from my pocket, unlocking the door.

She took a few steps inside, stopped, and turned around to face me. I shot her a lazy amused grin, saying nothing. She turned around to look at the room again. It was obvious the large space had once been many smaller rooms. I'd had it converted, removing walls, adding mirrors to the west wall, and a ballet _barre_ to the east one. The hardwood floor was new and polished, a state of the art sound system jutted from the rear wall. Arielle spun around, admiring it, taking everything in. After quite a few minutes, her attention returned to me.

"You did all this…for me?"

"Of course. I promised you a studio. I couldn't very well fit it in the house…"

Staggered, she stepped closer to me. "This is the most amazing…wow. Thank you."

"You'll have students of course. Girls who want to become prima ballerinas, who eat sleep and breathe dance…as I'm sure you once did."

She nodded. "I really did." Pirouetting, she spun into me.

I kissed the tip of her nose, wrapping my hands around her waist. "Dance for me."

"Oh, I couldn't." she searched frantically for an excuse. "I have no music…"

From the pocket of my overcoat, I removed a CD, burned and unlabeled. "You know me better than that."

"It was different when I didn't know you were watching…"

"So pretend I'm not even here."

"Easier said than done." She mumbled

"Then I'll go…you can dance freely."

"No!" she practically screamed it, her eyes desperate and helpless. "Don't leave me."

"I was joking. I won't. Ever." I watched the expression on her face change from fear to disbelief. I spoke before thinking.

"Marry me."

I whispered it, for a moment I wasn't sure she'd even heard me. Though it was a spur of the moment decision, I didn't regret it. While I waited, subconsciously, I held my breath.

* * *

Arielle swallowed. Why hadn't she seen this coming? She knew what Rosalie would say, she could hear the high soprano voice as if she were right beside her. _"Make the effort. It'll be worth it."_

She looked at him, tall, blonde, model like features. Compassionate to the point of pain. She knew she didn't deserve him. While her mind raced, she could tell Carlisle wasn't breathing. Maybe he hadn't meant to say it? In thirty seconds would he start to laugh, telling her the whole thing had been a joke? Surely not. But people couldn't be trusted; things could change at any given moment. Carlisle wasn't people though. He was…Carlisle. He'd saved her, then Paige without a second thought. Obviously not regretting a single thing he'd done.

She opened her mouth to speak.

* * *

"I…Yes." Her response was breathless. I was stunned. I think part of me expected her to say no. "Unless…you know you want to take it back?"

Aghast, I looked at her "Why, why would I do that?"

"Because…in case you didn't mean to say it."

I collected her in my arms. "Well, what would you do if I didn't?" I had a smile on my face; she still looked as though the sky could fall any given second.

She shrugged, her voice sounding stronger than she looked. "I guess I'd pretend like it never happened."

"Do you think you could?"

"No." she admitted honestly. "But I would fight like hell trying."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not taking it back."

Then she was crushing her mouth to mine, hands in my hair, taking, demanding. . "Isn't there supposed to be a ring or something?"

"Do you want one?" I asked skeptically

"No." she said on a laugh

"But you'll have one anyway."

"Somehow I knew that was your answer."

Gently I touched her cheek; she turned to me, looking directly into my eyes.

"Mean it Carlisle. I need you to mean it."

"Arielle, I've never meant anything more in my life. When Esme died I never thought I could be happy again, let alone be with someone who made me feel…almost human. And you don't. You don't even come close" I laughed when her face fell. "It's above and beyond that. Te quiero. Ayer, mañana, siempre."

"Teach me."

"Teach you what?"

"I want to be able to tell you that I love you in every language you can tell me in."

"Where do you want to start?"

She shrugged, pondering for a moment. "Spanish."

"Easy one. Te quiero"

"Te quiero" She repeated. "Wow, that was easy…effortless, like breathing."

"See, its not so scary being in love with me."

"Not scary, no, more like terrifying." She smirked "but I'm beginning to think its worth it."


	16. Riptides

He'd spent hours the night before researching every member of the Cullen family he could find. His searches kept returning him with the names of people who had supposedly died long ago. Except for one. Bella Cullen seemed to acutely match the description of one Isabella Swan, born in Forks Washington. Mysteriously disappeared a year ago. The case was open, and cold. Linked to the tale of her disappearance was the name Jacob Black, also missing. Assumed to be with her. He was with her, Preston noted. On the plane, the only one with dark skin. He nodded to himself trying to piece together theories. But the funny thing about the kid was, he didn't have the strange eyes of the Cullens. He wasn't one of them. Whatever they were. The article told him that Jacob Black was Native American, belonging to the Quileute tribe. If the kid was with them, then he knew what they were. Native Americans were highly superstitious people. He mused, and there's definitely something supernatural going on here. He reached up, touching his still tender nose. Cullen didn't even try. In fact, he seemed to show a great deal of restraint. No, something wasn't right. So he googled Quileute legends and only found one that fit. The bloodsuckers. The cold-ones.

"Vampires."

He practically gasped the word, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair he made his way to his car, muttering to himself as he walked. "It fits…that's why the great Dr. Cullen works with the sick. Easy prey." The words were bitter as he spat them from his mouth. "But yet…why didn't he just kill me that night?" In the dark, he pried the door to the Cullen's house open with a crow bar, wandered the empty house. There was still furniture on the ground, still art on the walls. The little bitch. Letting that monster paw her. Sniveling little whore thought she could get rid of Preston Marx, figuring she could run and he wouldn't catch her. "These monsters took Arielle, and made her one of them. Or maybe the slut went with them. Serves her right. But I need to get her back…I need…" his thoughts were interrupted by the silent approach of a woman he didn't see.

"What is it you need human?"

He swallowed hard; the voice behind his was a lyric soprano, cold and eerie. "Nothing." He responded, his own voice squeaky as he turned to face the vampire behind him. He was surprised to find she was a tiny girl, no taller than five foot two, exceptionally pretty, with a maniacal grin across her face.

"See, I think you want to hunt the Cullens. And I think you're going to need some help."

"How could you help me?"

Little Jane shut her eyes, took a breath, and Preston found himself on the floor writing in pain.

He shuddered a few times, trying desperately to regain some form of composure. "That might help…"

"No, no it won't because Bella, the brunette one can protect the whole family from my power…but I've been watching you. And I've noticed something about you…" His eyebrows shot up, he waited for her to elaborate, which she gratefully did. "You're quite a manipulative person…I'd bet as a vampire…you'd have an exquisite power."

"You've been watching me?"

Jane nodded, the macabre smile still etched on her face. "We watch the Cullens. You've fate has become intertwined with theirs."

"But, why would you help me?"

"If I'm right, you'll be helping me just as much. I hate the Cullens. More than you could possibly imagine. Bella thwarted me. She helped all of them escape me, escape the power of the Volturi. I can't let this end with them on top."

"What if you're wrong? What if I can't help?" he wasn't afraid of her, he became more intrigued by the minute.

"I'm rarely wrong."

He angled his head, staring at Jane, trying to decide what to do. "Well, then for my own sake, I hope you're not this time either." She barred her teeth, and for the first time all night, fear shot into his eyes. "Wait…"

"Human, there is no waiting. I'm doing this. Or I'm going to kill you."

He said nothing else as she lunged for his throat. At first it felt simply like the pinch of a needle, and then it began to burn. He cried out, screaming for Arielle, writing it pain. The entire time, Preston was vaguely aware of his surroundings, a fire pulsing through his blood. As the steady beat of his heart grew slower, Jane smiled slightly, knowing the end was near.

It continued for three days.

When he pried the lids of his eyes open, Preston felt like he was waking from an extremely restful nap. Colors were sharper, even the dark was brighter. He caught sight of his own hand, pale white, and flawless. The scars from when he'd cut himself breaking a window years ago were gone.

"Bloody Hell."

Jane had been sitting nearby, but she was joined this time by a man Preston had never seen before. He didn't have the beauty any of the Cullens, or Jane for that matter seemed to possess. He gave the distinct appearance of having spent too much time inside. His skin was chalky, like paper stretched too thin.

"Welcome back Preston." The sound came from the unknown male, Preston waited for him to speak again, but nothing more came.

He caught sight of his own reflection in the far window, and instinctively reached up to touch his own face. His hair was blacker, longer, sweeping back, brushing the tips of his eyes. But the thing that held his attention more than anything else was the disappearance of his crystal blue eyes. They had turned a vibrant red, revealing the blazing hate he seemed to feel inside.

"Bloody Hell." He repeated, taking another moment to adjust himself to what he was seeing.

Jane actually smiled, pleased with his reaction. "This is Marcus." She said quickly pointing out the pasty skinned man. "He's going to help us."

"You are right, little Jane. His bond to that one is strong." His voice sounded too quiet, broken as though rarely used. "If as you say, he can manipulate those around him…it will work very much like the power of the fortune teller Cullen. Its not in the mind, it's in the actions. If this works, I believe Aro will be very pleased." He nodded, and then smiled slightly, as if enjoying a private joke.

"What now?" Preston asked rather loudly, interrupting their conversation. "Where do we go from here?"

Marcus turned his attention back to him, studying for a moment. "Patience, young one. We have much to do before you can exact your revenge upon the Cullens."

Preston seethed, shaking his head, he turned to Jane. "You promised to help me get Arielle back. Now, you'll do it."

Marcus spoke "You need training, practice…there is much you need to learn."

Jane's voice was forced, monotone. "We'll go now Marcus."

He turned to her, confused and stunned at the same time. "Jane you can't possibly be serious…"

Preston shifted his gaze, and his tone. "I think we should go now. I really think it would be more productive if we go sooner."

Marcus nodded, his response simple, also monotone. "I'll bring the car around. Jane, find him a clean shirt. We're going to Oregon."

* * *

Needle and thread in hand, Arielle sat on the soft leather couch in my office, sewing fresh ribbons onto her new pointe shoes. Around her neck, on a thin silver chain she wore my ring. A tiny diamond glittered in the flimsy light shed by the desk lamp. It was dark outside, the rain had turned to ice and it loudly pelted the window. I sat behind my mahogany desk, reading paper after endless paper, trying to make sense of the legal jargon. Three hundred years had only made the law more complex, less iron and established. A language I couldn't understand. From the corner of my eye, I saw Arielle smirk, but as I opened my mouth to make a retort, we heard a scream.

She was quicker than I, beating me to Paige's room, where the tiny child slept. Trapped in blankets, she was drenched in icy sweat. A nightlight burned in the corner, fanning light around the room. Arielle pulled the little girl into her arms, coddling.

"What's the matter sweetie?"

Paige slept onwards, thrashing about in her mothers strong arms. I stepped away. This was out of my league. Rosalie and Arielle had both been through incredibly painful situations. They'd both handled it without much complaint, without any more physical pain. Arielle had her flashbacks, but they were nothing compared to the nightmare Paige was experiencing now. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't know what to say. I found myself taking another step back.

"Carlisle, she won't wake up. I can't shake her out of it!"

I said nothing, trying to maintain calm, failing miserably. "I don't know what to do." I admitted pathetically "I can't help her."

Suddenly, Paige's tiny eyes were open, glittering with tears, she held her mother.

"I'm cold momma."

"I know baby. Did you have a bad dream?"

The child nodded, still slightly sobbing. I took a final step back, leaving the room. Aimlessly I wandered until I found myself in my own bedroom. My breathing was labored and forced. I waited, for I knew Arielle would find me.

"What the hell was all that?" came her soft cry just moments later

"Is she sleeping again?"

"Yes. And I asked you a question."

"I don't know damn it. Arielle, my 'children' have always been adults. Even Renessme grows up so quickly it's like caring for a teenager. I'm out of my depth."

"And I suppose I know what I'm doing?"

"I never said that. I…" I stammered over my words, searching frantically for the right ones.

"You didn't even try."

"She looked so damn…breakable. Everywhere." I sighed, letting the words come. "You…and Rosalie for that matter are both okay. Because I know somewhere inside you have the strength to get over it. I don't see that in Paige."

"Get over it?! Carlisle, do you know what I think about constantly? What these never ending flashbacks won't let me forget?! I'm not breakable. I'm beyond that. I'm broken."

I fumed. "Stop." She cowered at the command in my voice. "I misspoke. It's different with Paige."

"How. How is it different? Because she's a child? Because eventually, if we try hard enough she could forget?" exasperated, she sat on his bed.

"Damn it Arielle!" I flung my arm back, knocking over a lamp. It fell to the floor, shattered with a deafening crash. Her hands flew to her face, she didn't try to run. I felt the temper melt away, afraid I'd done irreparable damage. I waited a moment before speaking. "I won't hurt you." She shook her head, evidently too afraid to speak. "I'm not Preston"

"Forget it." She said softly.

"No, I need you to see that I could never…" I couldn't even bring myself to say the words.

"Obviously my broken daughter and I are too much for you to handle. We'll leave." She reached behind her neck, gently removing the chain that held her engagement ring, setting it on the bedside table where the broken lamp had once sat.

"Arielle, don't go." My plea was whispered, but before all the words were even out of my mouth, she was gone. And I was afraid it was forever.


	17. Consequence of Sounds

Author's Note: I don't love this chapter. Actually, I hate it. Just stupid stuff that needed to be said in order to get to the good stuff i suppose. So bear with me here, and please review, let me know what i can do to make it better. And if anyone cough Rose cough wants to beta it, feel free.

* * *

Paige's room was empty; she'd taken the child and run. Pulling back the curtains, I saw her car was still in front of the house, parked right where we'd left it earlier. Rain continued to pelt the windows, falling hard, swirling in a mass that made human vision damn near impossible. And Arielle had taken the child out into the ice storm with no more than a nightgown on her tiny frail body. What if she got sick? What if something happened? She'd been right all along; I'd always known what needed to be done. It was heart wrenching to think I had screwed up so badly.

I didn't know what to make of it.

* * *

Preston fidgeted on the plane, uncomfortable with all the unknown vampires he was surrounded by. They'd been joined by fellow Volturi members at Heathrow International, and now continued to Portland with a guard of fifteen. They all shared the waxy look of having spent centuries indoors, which Preston couldn't bring himself to understand. He felt strange because of the new energy racing through his system. Jane scowled.

"Stop it." She ordered. "We still have a major problem ahead of us."

Marcus nodded. "We need to find a way to separate the family. And to do that, we need more information."

He opened his mouth to argue, Jane held up a hand. "Before you go manipulating our actions…think. Theres a chance we could fail without gaining more knowledge."

He thought for a moment and took a deep cleansing breath. They were right. "What's your plan?"

"How much do you know about Arielle's relationship with the Cullens?"

"Not too much," he admitted honestly. "The only time I ever met any of them was the time the Doctor broke my nose."

"Carlisle broke your nose?" Aro asked softly

"It's not funny!"

"I'm not laughing," Aro whispered "He's the most self controlled vampire I've ever met. He must care for her a lot to defend her like that." He turned to Marcus, awaiting his approval. However, he didn't share his enthusiasm.

Marcus shook his head "Cullen is compassionate towards everyone. I haven't seen them since they've met, so I won't know the extent of their relationship until I've seen one or both of them."

"It just sounds unreasonable. Even for him." Aro pointed out

"I agree." Marcus said solemnly. "But I don't think it's wise to jump to conclusions. We don't want to fail again."

Jane seethed, "No, we most certainly do not."

"So we'll find the Cullens. And if Jane is right, we find a way to separate them." Preston said simply "And I'll get Arielle back. You can have the rest of them"

* * *

Rain was falling masked as ice when they stepped off the plane into Portland. "Cullen will be at the hospital," someone pointed out softly. Preston wasn't sure who; his thoughts were completely consumed by the burning in his throat.

"We need to hunt first." Caius observed "Our young friend is thirsty."

Aro nodded "Get him something. Marcus and I will find Carlisle. It seems we have much to catch up on."

* * *

For the second time in a week I stood on the Emergency bay outside, watching the world spin by, I half expected Arielle to drive up in her little blue convertible, grinding the gears, destroying her transmission. It hurt to think of her. I jammed my hands into my pockets, letting the icy rain strike my face, the wind sweep my hair. I hated myself.

In the distance, I heard the smooth sounds of an approaching veichle, but I knew it couldn't be her. The sound was too smooth, far too precise. The yellow Porsche turned into the lot, and Alice bounded out, her face grave.

"Sometimes you can be immeasurably stupid."

"Thank you," I scowled. "That's exactly what I need to hear right now."

"Carlisle, you're always out to save the world. You often forget what's right in front of your own face."

"Damn it, I know! Alice, where is she?"

She shrugged, looking honestly upset this time. "I couldn't say. Still in Portland, and she's running. But she doesn't know where to go."

"I've got to find her."

"The best I can tell you is that she's in a section of the city with a bunch of refurbished houses. She's running fast."

I thought of the studio, with the office on the second floor. The building had heat and a couch that pulled into a bed. "I know where she is. And I know she's safe."

"Are you going to go after her?"

"Eventually. But for now, it has to be enough to know she's safe. She needs space, and I'll give it to her."

Alice shook her head, climbed back into her car, and muttered something that sounded an awful lot like "Immeasurably stupid."

I turned on my heels and returned inside. My breathing had slowed slightly, and I wanted to say I felt better knowing she was safe. But that would have been a lie. Almost before I realized what I was doing, I'd taken to the ground running. I didn't see the black limousine that pulled into the hospital lot, nor did I recognize the lack of heartbeats inside it. I was going too fast, consumed by my own emotions.

* * *

"Momma…where are we?"

Arielle looked around, then realized she taken them to the only other place in Portland she knew of. The ballet studio. "We're just here to get some rest baby. Then we're going to go…somewhere else."

"Are we running away?"

She sighed, innocence was incredibly perceptive. "Yes baby."

"Why?" she stared at her mother through tear filled eyes, trying to understand things above her level of comprehension. "Did Dr. Cullen hurt you like daddy? Why do we have to go Momma?"

"He didn't hurt me Paige." She spoke the words softly, finally understanding. "He would never hurt me…or you like daddy did." Her voice grew stronger, less afraid.

"So why do we need to leave? I like Dr. Cullen. He promised me a home. I want to go home Momma." Paige began to cry softly then, Arielle wiped Paige's face gently with her sleeve.

"Sleep for now, baby. We'll go home soon," she paused, swallowing hard. "If Carlisle lets me," she added under her breath.

* * *

The city was a blur around me as the dark of the night faded into a grey helpless dawn. The ground was hard beneath my thundering feet. It seemed as though I'd never run slower in my life. The door to the studio was slightly ajar, and instantly I knew they were inside, for I could sense Paige's steady restful heartbeat.

"Please don't run." I whispered as I stepped through the door and took the steps to the second floor three at a time. There were candy wrappers littering the floor, evidently they'd been here the entire time. I felt the first wave of relief wash over me when I saw them, curled on the couch near the radiator. I was pleased to see, I'd been wrong, they'd taken a blanket. Paige lay underneath it, using her mothers lap as a pillow, her thumb in her mouth, tearstained cheeks, curly red hair spilling everywhere. Arielle, in contrast sat bone straight, her proud face with its high cheekbones, heavy lids and dark lashes glaring back at me, set in a sneer. Her voice was cold and forced when she spoke.

"Look, I'll be gone from here soon. I just needed to get her out of the cold."

"You don't have to leave." My voice was apologetic, soft.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "There's nothing else I can say."

"Well, I have more to say to you." I waited a moment, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest before speaking again. "You were right. As soon as you left the house, I realized it. Arielle, I'm three hundred sixty seven years old. It's rare for me to find something I truly don't understand. I didn't understand how you could just accept the fact that she was hurting, and try and bring her around."

"I was never okay with it," she spoke softly, her demeanor changing slightly. "I've just learned that you can't change your past. So you need to shake yourself from it and move on."

"It took me a moment too long to see that. And then you were gone. And you looked so scared. Afraid of what I could do to you. I never wanted you to think of me that way. To compare me to him." I sat on the ground next to her, taking her slender hand and holding it within my own.

"I didn't…" but at my raised eyebrow, she cracked a smile, I couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. "Okay, maybe I did. But while I was running, it occurred to me that you would never lay a hand on me. Not like that. Not like he did. I came here; I think part of me hoped you would find me."

"I will always find you. Though to be honest, I'd really prefer it if you didn't leave." she laid her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, you're going home."

Arielle nodded. "Home. Take Paige."

I lifted the sleeping girl into my arms, wrapping them protectively around her. "I'm going to pack up the mess we've made. I'll meet you there." Her whisper was hushed, hurried. She touched her lips to mine, the ember was still hot, and again, I was relieved.

"Be careful," I found myself whispering, before speeding away, leaving her to her own devices.


	18. Switchblades and Infidelity

Author's Note: Major thanks to all my reviewers. You all rock!

* * *

Alec drove the limo dodging traffic, trying futilely to keep up with Carlisle's immense speed. Marcus had his eyes shut, a pained look of concentration plastered to his face. It was Aro who broke the silence.

"What is it you see, friend?"

"Something I can't quite understand…the strength of this relationship…Especially after Carlisle lost a mate…I can't quite comprehend."

"So, he loves her." Aro whispered simply "This makes things very interesting."

Alec curbed the car outside the refurbished home, turning to his fellows. "So what now?"

"Now, I suppose we wait." Marcus said easily. "I believe our young friend would become mutinous if we were to start without him."

Aro nodded "I wonder if it's right…what we're about to do." He muttered quietly to himself, ignoring the others around him.

Suddenly the door to the limo was wrenched open, Preston and the remaining guard piled inside. It was now uncomfortably full.

"Did you discover anything?"

"Enough. Your Arielle is inside alone now. I don't know how long you can count on that, so I'd hurry back."

Faster than light, he was gone.

* * *

She was indeed in the house, completely alone and unprotected. It was better than Preston could have ever hoped. Her back was to him as she diligently lifted wrappers and cans from the floor.

"I've missed you, Arielle." His voice was cool and her breath caught in her throat.

"Go away Preston." She muttered softly as she slowly turned to face him. His appearance shocked her. His nose was set dead center to his face, Carlisle had broken it…it shouldn't sit so perfectly. His hair was longer, his lips a little fuller. His heart wasn't beating.

"Is that any way to talk to your husband?" he asked her with fake sweetness coating his voice.

She stammered for a moment "We're divorced. Remember?"

"You think I give a rat's ass what a simple piece of paper says? You married me, promised me forever. Have you figured out what I am yet? Have you realized that forever truly means eternity?" He grinned, flashing brilliant white teeth. Arielle shuddered.

"I won't go with you. You can't hurt me." Her voice grew stronger with each passing second; she made herself believe the words she was speaking.

Preston closed the space between them, touching her waist with his icy fingers. She froze, too afraid to move. "Can't I?" He covered her mouth with his own, taking, demanding. For a moment, she felt compelled to kiss him back, but from the back of her mind came a tiny voice. It asked her only one word. _Why?_ It was enough. Arielle broke away and using the palm of her hand, slapped his face as hard as she could. The room sounded as though it was filled with thunder.

"I said, leave me alone."

"I have friends outside Arielle. You won't walk away from me again." He grabbed her arm to prevent her from running and her body suddenly went rigid. Preston felt his own actions freeze and watched in vivid detail, the memories of the aftermath of his transformation. Not knowing exactly what to think about what he was seeing, he stayed rooted to the spot for a moment too long after the flashback had ended. Arielle had taken off in a sprint. She was faster than him, and long gone. Dejected, he made his way back down the stairs and flung open the car door.

"She got away." He muttered, the failure of losing her again fully sinking in.

"No matter," Jane retorted with a smile. "That's what Demetri is here for."

A young looking vampire in the rear of the car flashed his teeth. The effect was chilling. "Head west on Skidmore Street," he whispered. "She's going home."

* * *

I lay Paige in her bed, and let my thoughts wander to Arielle. I wondered how long it would take for her to join me and how much private time we would have together before Paige awoke. Alice tapped me on the shoulder, interrupting my daydream. I spun around and found myself facing my entire family, sans Arielle. "Is something wrong?" I asked slowly.

"Yes." Alice whispered breathlessly. "The Volturi…"

"The Volturi?" I repeated slowly, clearly confused "But what could they possibly want? We've done nothing wrong…"

"Revenge" Bella said easily. "They're upset we thwarted them."

"The Volturi are not forgiving people." Edward finished

"Where are they?" I asked in a hurry, eager to learn as much as possible, wanting to prepare myself.

"They were at the hospital earlier. They're coming here." She hesitated just a moment "Now."

I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "There's something else…isn't there?"

Alice nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by Arielle's abrupt rush into the house.

"Preston…he…" she tripped over her words, unable to finish her sentence.

"Preston, what has he got to do with anything?" my attention was momentarily diverted, but snapped back when Alice cleared her throat. "He's not here now, and we sort of have more pressing matters to attend to."

Arielle blew out a frustrated breath "He is here. He's coming. And he has friends."

Edward waved her off. "Humans can't hurt us, Arielle."

Arielle blew out a frustrated breath "Damn it, listen. He's not human. He's a vampire. And he has friends. Powerful friends. I could sense them."

Alice shut her eyes and inhaled. "He's with the Volturi and they're coming now."

I took a deep breath, restoring the calm. "If they want revenge, running won't deter them."

"No," Edward agreed "We have to stand and fight."

"But…Paige…" Arielle gasped "I won't have her in this house when Preston is here."

I nodded "Especially as a newborn."

"Carlisle makes a valid point." Jasper concurred. "Arielle, take her and run."

"No." she whispered simply "This is as much my fight as it is yours. Carlisle, please take her."

Shaking my head, I took her face within my hands. "I won't leave you here. Not with him coming. I made you a promise."

"You made Paige a promise too." She reminded me. "And nothing will happen with the rest of your family here."

"I'm not going anywhere." I looked around the room, my eyes falling on Jacob. "Take her and Renessme. Please."

He wrinkled his nose, sighing deeply. "And miss all the fun?"

Bella shot him a deadly look.

"Sure, sure. I'll go." He muttered and began to climb the stairs, stamping his feet heavily as he walked.

"Now what?" Arielle asked as her focus returned to me.

"Now? We fight."


	19. Of A Revolution

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who helped with this one, most especially my (s)ex wifey, Team Graecisso.

* * *

Darkness danced across the sky, streaking it liberally with clouds, stars twinkling in the blackness. My words resonated in the room. The word 'fight' seemed to hang in the air, stinging my entire family. Though Emmett always itched for a good brawl, a battle to the death with high probability of casualties was not on anyone's to do list.

Edward's eyes were locked with Bella's. The room was all couples. Filled with love and devotion, selfless and complete affinity. I sighed. I felt now, more than ever, that the Volturi must be destroyed. Without notice and accomplices, we could not defend ourselves as we did when they had come for Renessme. This was not the time for their downfall.

"For now," I said, collecting my thoughts, "We shall defend ourselves only, until Alice sees an opening." I nodded at Alice, whose eyes looked past me, to things seen only by her. "Alice…" I asked softly, turning towards her "How long do we have?"

"Aro knows my ways. He keeps changing his mind… I can't be sure, Carlisle"

Jake descended the curving staircase, both sleeping children cradled in his arms. "Thank you, Jacob. I know this is hard for you."

He nodded. "Sure, Sure." He smiled, lazy and slow, bored by the entire situation.

Bella kissed Nessie and Paige. "Be safe, beautifuls. And you too, Jake."

Jake rolled his eyes and bolted, both children in his massive arms. In seconds, he was bounding down the long drive to the BMW.

"Carlisle…" Alice said, voice stricken with panic, "They're here…"

"Bella! Hide!" Edward growled.

"Are you insane? I can protect myself as well as you! I have to be here! I'm the shield!"

Alice shook her head. Edward nodded. Apparently Alice had told him it was necessary.

The doorbell rang. Despite myself, I chuckled. How ironic. Of course we could hear them at the front door. Aside from that, Aro knew that Alice had foretold their arrival, and we all knew that the quaint tinkle of the doorbell was not an indicator of any good tidings.

I opened the door, as genuine a smile on my face as I could manage. "Aro, old friend. I cannot say it is a surprise to see you, thanks to Alice, though I am confused. I thought it would be a hundred years before our paths met again." From the corner of my eye I saw Bella's mouth turn upwards, barring her teeth, a low growl furrowing in her throat. Edward braced a restraining hand on her shoulder.

Aro laughed genially, striding in with his companions. "Fate had other intentions. Bella, my dear, how well you look! My compliments, Edward, for even I would like her as a wife!"

Edward shook a little, glaring relentlessly into Aro.

"Calm down, young master Cullen. Always so tense when we meet!"

"Perhaps if you would warn us of your meetings, or come without harmful intent to my family, I should not be so tense, Aro."

Aro looked genuinely offended. "Carlisle is one of my oldest friends. If I or my own hurt any of this family, it is with the deepest regret."

"Why don't you get on to business, then, so we can put this behind us?" I offered, stepping forward a little. "What is it that brings you here?"

Arielle, regretfully, spoke first. "We know why he's here! But where is dear Preston?"

Caius hissed, while Marcus looked incredibly unaffected. Aro laughed. "And this, Carlisle? This must be Arielle? I daresay her beauty gives even Esme a run for her money." His words stung me, but I stayed silent. "Does she have any…powers?"

"Not much. Nothing helpful, and sporadic at that. I can see the past. Brief glimpses in undesirable clumps. Very confusing." Arielle whispered, unconsciously backing away from them.

Aro nodded. "I will not deny, Miss Arielle, that Preston did accompany us. It is not because of him, however, that we have come here. In fact, we merely met him at Heathrow." Edward seethed the lie obvious to him. "How odd it was, that happenstance brought us together there, both seeking the Cullen family. Though perhaps not, since you are famous in our world…" He trailed off momentarily. "Preston, as you can see, is not with us. I have no idea where he is at the moment… I notice, Bella, that you are not desperately clutching you Halfling child. Renessme is the business of this operation. We are merely interested in her progress…"

"Nessie's on vacation. I am afraid you came from Italy for nothing." Bella said, coldly.

Aro raised his brows suspiciously. "A vacation without you, Bella? I wouldn't have dreamed you'd let her go so easily. However, if you have photos, that would suffice."

"We do!" Shouted Bella, excitedly. "Albums full!" I can get them…I'm just…they're not unpacked yet, the albums. Still in the basement…If you could excuse me?"

"Of course."

"Bella, no. I'll go with you."

Bella kissed him on the cheek. "The family needs your skills here. If Aro hints at betrayal, you'll know, and if they attack, I'm only just downstairs…"

Edward let her go, grudgingly. Bella was a vampire. She could protect herself well, now. She darted away, a blur of colors, down the stairs.

* * *

Jake drove. He pushed the speedometer of the BMW M3 to its limit, thankful for the cover of complete darkness; for he knew a bright red convertible in the middle of the day would just be asking for a ticket. Paige and Renessme slept soundly in the backseat. The surrounding roads grew more familiar and the rain grew steadier as he headed into the town limits of Forks. He spun the car into Charlie Swan's driveway, knowing it was his best hope. At the sound of the revving engine, the ever faithful Charlie came outside to investigate. A smile encompassed his face when he saw Jake step from the car, a smile that got brighter when he realized that he was carrying Renessme.

"It's good to see you!"

Halfheartedly, Jake returned the smile. "Hi, Charlie."

"Who's the other kid Jake?" he asked quietly interested.

"This is Paige. Carlisle's daughter." He rattled off quickly. "I need to leave them here for a while."

Charlie looked momentarily confused and then nodded. "Of course, whatever you need." He opened his mouth to speak again, but shut it just as quickly.

"Thank you" was his only response and he turned to get back in the car.

"Is everything okay Jake?"

"I don't know." He answered honestly.

"Is it something me or your friends down in La Push can help with?"

"No, I just need you to watch the kids, Charlie." Jake chewed over his words for a moment. The pack _could_ help. "See you later." He waited until the front door had closed behind Charlie before phasing and beginning his run towards home.

* * *

Bella hadn't actually been this far away from Edward in quite a while. Her stomach churned with the pain of it, but she was determined to find the baby books and send the Volturi on their merry way. Still, all the way from Italy, and Aro would be satisfied with some pictures? And Preston, where was he? Something didn't sit right.

Bella was rummaging through boxes at the speed of light, when a creak of the door distracted her. "Edward?" She said, looking around.

"No, better." said Preston, his grin shining white for the first time since his childhood. Vampirism had done him well.

"…Preston?" Bella said, fearlessly, almost dismissively.

"My reputation precedes me, I see." He was next to her in a second. "Drop the box, Bella."

To her surprise, she did it, despite not wanting to. For the first time, she was genuinely afraid of him. "Edward!" she whispered helplessly.

"You know, Bella, Aro told me how beautiful you were. And I hear you're dutifully married to one of Carlisle's kin."

"What of it?" She asked coldly.

"Well, Carlisle took my wife. I can't take his because she is dead. So I guess the next best thing is you…" He stroked her hair, pulling it a little. "Stand still." He ordered. She couldn't shield or fight. She was helpless. And now, her family was, too…

"Edward will not save you. He cannot. And even if it was possible, he wouldn't. A worthless woman like yourself? Even with the grace of a vampire, you still fall regularly. Why would he want someone like you? Didn't he leave you, once?"

"He…you…" Bella stammered.

It was easy for him to rip her shirt. Fabric was like spider web beneath a vampire's hands. "You're disgusting." She gasped He took a step closer to her, hooking a firm arm around her waist, leaning down to touch his lips to hers. She harnessed the limited free force in her mind, and used her remaining strength to push him off herself, sending him skidding across the concrete floor.

"Don't touch me Preston."

His temper ruled him, forgoing all thoughts except vengeance. Unconsciously, he released the manipulation he held over her and charged headlong into her body. Gracefully, she leaped over him.

"Didn't your Volturi friends teach you to fight?" she chided

"I know how to fight." He growled and once again lunged for her throat.

She spun around, taking him to the ground. "Do you?"

Preston bit the hand restraining him and Bella flinched away instantly. The hatred was blinding his eyes, he couldn't see anything else. She screamed violently, praying someone would hear her.

"Help me…" she whispered before succumbing to the pain. Bella sank down the wall, letting the darkness envelope her. "Edward, help me."

* * *

Edward's eyes snapped onto Jane, as if it was she who had caused Bella to scream. He didn't bother asking, he ran toward the door. Jane grinned, and he crumpled to the floor. Alice rushed to his side. Jane looked satisfied, and turned to inflict her terrible power upon Arielle. My dead heart leapt out of my chest, and without considering, I threw her out of the way. The ensuing crash was deafening as she hit the stairwell, destroying the banister.

The focus of the attack had now turned to me; I bit back a scream as the pain completely consumed my body. I felt my legs contort behind me, bending in a way I was sure my body was never intended to twist. Vaguely, I heard Arielle cry out in my defense, she knew the pain was meant for her. I was glad it was me and not her, as the fire was now burning through my entire being. I heard Jane's maniacal laughing in response to my screams. When it seemed that my body could no longer hold out, Aro ended everything with a single word.

"Enough" he spoke softly, but firmly.

My stomach churned and I gasped for air, my entire body shaking. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't find my voice. Edward spoke instead.

"What is it you want, truly, 'friend'?" he spat the words through gritted teeth, anger flowing in every syllable, though not masking the fear he felt for his Bella.

"Revenge." Caius admitted simply, honestly.

"We've done nothing wrong!" I whispered, pulling myself to my feet. "Not then and not now."

Caius rocked back on his heels, still smiling.

"The guilty always claim innocence. Right to the bitter end."

"Why would we lie to you? We've nothing to gain from it! You manipulated our Bella away from us. We can't even protect ourselves!" Rosalie shrieked.

"The more you are unable to protect yourselves, the better for us. This ends today."

"So, you're going to kill us then?" I asked Aro quietly.

"I regret it."

"Then why are you-" Emmett began to ask, but was struck dumb by Alec.

"Don't ask questions." Marcus hissed, speaking for the first time.

Arielle found my arm and latched on. None of us could speak, and I knew the blindness would soon follow.


	20. Slipped Away

As Jake ran, he managed to kick up a fair amount of dirt. It caught in his shaggy fur, but he didn't have time to care. Loudly, he thought to whomever was listening.

_Guys, I need your help. _

The reply came quickly; Seth seemed pleased to hear from him. _Hiya Jake!_

_Seth, get everyone you can find. I have a problem. _

Sam was next, authortive and calm. _What's the matter?_

_The Cullens are in danger. Please help me. Help us._

_The Cullens?_

Seth sounded scared. _What's wrong? How can we help? _

_The Volturi. They're coming for them. I don't have time to fully explain. _

_Those Italian vampires? What do they want? _

Leah joined them, her tone dulcet and understanding.

_Revenge… _

Jake thought bitterly. _Look, I don't want to put you in unnecessary danger, but- _

_Of course we'll help you, Jake._ Seth thought, proudly

_We will._ Sam agreed. _We'll help your family_.

Leah snorted a derisive _I suppose._

_Thank you._ His thought was desperate, yet hopeful.

_Where to?_

Embry's thought was excited; he itched for a fight, for some action. Everyone's thoughts were concurrent, Jake hadn't phased since he'd left London and they were all anxious to learn the whereabouts of the Cullens.

_Portland_. He thought simply, and took off in a run, his strides long and the full pack behind him.

* * *

Before the misty blindness had a chance to set in, Edward took off for the basement, trying desperately to answer Bella's painful summons. Demetri was faster, cutting him off at the doorway.

"We can't have that, young Cullen."

Edward sneered, but Demetri tightened his grip around Edwards forearms. Unable to speak in his own defense, he was silent as Demetri hurtled him against the opposite wall. The drywall cracked as Edward's marble-esque head hit a light fixture, which shattered and sparked, engulfing the nearby curtains in flames.

I watched in horror as my son tried to scramble away, paralyzed by the combination of the attack and fear for Bella. Bella, I feared, was trapped downstairs with the previously missing Preston. Edward must have heard Preston's thoughts, for the look on his face was one of unadulterated anger, and I had only seen it once. Alec turned his full attention to the misbehaving Edward, and I felt my voice return.

"Stop it!" I begged them, knowing somewhere inside that my pleading was useless. "You're intent on destroying us, old friend. Have you thought how the rest of our kind will react?"

Aro held up a hand, calling for silence. "I assume you refer to your friends? Your fellow compassionate vampires?" He spoke each word slowly, disdainfully.

"Not just them, I'm speaking about everyone of our kind! How will they look at you when they learned you killed us for no reason?"

"You assume too much, Carlisle."

"Do I?" I asked him frankly, "Perhaps you underestimate us, Aro."

"Without Bella, you are nothing."

"We managed fine without her before."

"Not managing too well, now, are we? Even with your new mate?" Marcus asked artlessly, scowling bitterly.

I looked around the room. Arielle clung to me, frozen and helpless. Edward lay slumped against the wall, pieces of drywall caked into his hair, tongues of fire continuing to lick the fabric above him. A thick haze of smoke was billowing ominously through the air. It was a good thing we didn't need to breathe.

"You are going to be sorry." I muttered.

Aro shrugged. "You put too much faith in the assumptions of others. I know better."

"You think you do." My tone grew stronger, I wasn't afraid of him. "Sometimes you appear so woefully ignorant." My limbs were frozen; Alec was preventing us from moving, though he had graciously allowed me a voice.

Aro's eyebrows shot upwards. "Is that so? Elaborate, Carlisle, the more you talk, the longer you live."

* * *

Someone was screaming, and Jake instantly recognized it as Bella's familiar musical voice. Fire flickered in the windows, clouds of smoke puffed from underneath the front door, filling their lungs, blurring their vision.

_Head for the main hall!_

he choked out instructions quickly, trying hard not to breathe.

_Where are you going?_

Seth asked earnestly, eager to help.

_Bella's not with them._ His thoughts were terrified. I need to find her.

_Take someone with you,_ Quil pleaded.

_No._ He thought coldly _There's too many upstairs. You're all needed there._

Listening to the simple order, the pack split. Jake took off for the back of the house, trying to follow the sounds of Bella's violent yells. Using his paws, Jake wrenched open the heavy concrete door. Scanning the room, he immediately found Bella, corned by Preston. Preston stood over her, gently running a finger against her cheek.

"Are you ready, Isabella?"

She whimpered, but made no movement to defend herself. Unable to lift her arms, she was paralyzed by venom and fear. He fumbled with the snap on her jeans, eventually giving up in frustration and tearing the denim.

Jake stood frozen in the doorway for a second, processing the situation. As the sound of ripping fabric filled his ears, he reacted instinctively. With a huge leap, he landed on Preston's back, digging his teeth into granite flesh. Bella opened her eyes, which grew wide with concern when she recognized the russet coloured wolf that was saving her skin.

"Jake! No!" she cried out, pulling herself into a standing position.

Jacob jerked his head towards the door that lead upstairs, and grudgingly, Bella nodded and sprinted upwards. Preston threw Jake from his back, spinning around, teeth set. Seeing only one option, he bolted for the stairs, knowing that the presence of the Volturi would allow for safety. He couldn't defeat him alone.

* * *

I watched in awe, as sixteen wolves charged full force into my home. A small grey wolf led the pack. I instantly recognized her; she tried to be everywhere at once, preventing Seth from having anything to do. Unconsciously, I reached out to help, and found that the movement had returned to my arms. Bella had joined us, though her shirt was torn and barely clinging to her body. I was sure that if I let Preston live, Edward would take care of him. Bella braced herself against the mangled stairwell, her full concentration focused on shielding us. Emmett took immediate advantage of her self sacrifice and ran at Alec.

And all Hell broke loose.

The fire had spread, licking, controlling everything it could get its destructivity on. One of the wolves yelped as he was tossed back into the burning curtains.

"We need to get out of here!" I cried, praying someone in the fracas would hear me. One by one, the Volturi began to disappear, soundlessly slipping through the smoke. "Now!" I demanded, scooping the wounded Edward into my arms. In her attempt to follow, Bella stumbled, falling on top of a running Jacob. She clutched at his fur and we ran.

It was difficult to keep going, without knowing who was behind me. I could hear a high pitched yelp. Someone was still trapped in the house. Gingerly, I set Edward down. He was coming around now, the steady rise and fall of his chest reassured me. And abruptly, there was silence.

"It's no use, Carlisle. We'd know if it was any good." Jake whispered, tears glimmering in his eyes. "I can't hear her."

My family was intact. Arielle was hovering over my injured son with Bella. The children were safe at…wherever Jake had left them. Jacob's family, however…

Red and orange embers beat the sides of my home, as one by one the wolves phased back.

Fifteen total. All male.


	21. Apocalypse

Author's Note: Last Chapter. But don't worry. I have a small epilouge, and this is only the first of three stories in this line. So, if you liked this one, keep an eye out for the second. I'm sure i'll have it posted soon enough. Thanks for sticking with me! :)

* * *

We stood around for what seemed like an endless run of hours. Firemen came and went; our clothing was soaked through from the heavy stream of water that was used to extinguish the blaze. Seth was openly crying, the tears ran through him, and he shook with every breath. No one had a single word of comfort.

"I'm sorry, Seth" I whispered, feeling the urge to end the stifling silence. "I never wanted-"

He looked up at me, eyes wide, unshed tears glimmering in the moonlight. "We came voluntarily. Don't blame yourself." He turned away, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Exhaling loudly, Jake ran a hand through his hair. "It's my fault. I got the pack involved in this. I killed Leah."

"Stop it Jake." Bella commanded, opening her eyes for the first time. She had a distinct look of exhaustion etched upon her face. I wondered if it would ever fade. "The Volturi killed Leah…the pack saved our lives."

Sam nodded in agreement. "We came because you're Jake's family. That made this as much our fight as it was yours. We all wanted to be here, including Leah. And she died a hero's death." There was unmistakable depression in his words.

There was a general murmur of assent. "I think she would've wanted it that way." Seth said slowly, his voice shaky.

"Undoubtedly" Edward whispered, and wrapped his arm around Bella's waist.

"I'd like to go home now." Seth asked quietly of no one in particular. "I have to tell my mom…"

"We can do that for you" Jake said simply

"No, I'll do it myself." He sniffled a little "But I'd be grateful for a ride. I'm too tired to run" he admitted.

"Of course, Seth" I looked around. Arielle had scooped him into her tiny arms. He dwarfed her with his sheer size, but she made it look effortless.

"Carlisle, come with me? I don't know where I'm going." She said quietly.

"And you can't drive stick either." I quipped halfheartedly. Everyone smiled, Bella forced a laugh.

"We'll all go." Jake stated decisively. "Paige and Renessme are at Charlie's, and our home is burnt to the ground."

"There's a perfectly good one in Forks." Alice reminded us.

"It'll work for now." Jasper agreed "We can figure the rest out as we go."

We were short one vehicle, for Jake had left Rosalie's BMW in Charlie's driveway. But eventually we managed to fit everyone in.

"Thanks for taking me home, guys." A soft voice came from the backseat, stifled by a yawn. Arielle laid him in the backseat, Quil climbed in the car after us. The interior of the Mercedes held a faint odor of smoke and I fought to ignore it, fought to suppress the recent memory of tragedy. The stinging feeling that deep down, I had caused this. I'd destroyed his family, to save my own.

* * *

Rosalie drove the Volvo, Edward wasn't quite solid on his feet, and Bella seemed far too distracted to be capable behind the wheel. She wanted to ask her what had happened in that basement. What had led to her clothing being reduced to rags? Led her normally happy personality to be reduced to complete and total silence? Her hand now held a fresh crescent shaped scar. He'd bit her. Vaguely, she wondered what else he'd done. Had it been like Royce? Did the cement of the basement floor even register as pain against her hardened skin, like the bricks of the Rochester wall had done against Rosalie's human skin? She didn't want to think about it, for she feared the worst. Men like Preston had no control as humans. She imagined the restraint would be far less, as a newborn vampire. Edward cradled her in the backseat, completely absorbed in her, oblivious to Rosalie's thought. Now, she thought, was not the time to ask questions. So she drove in silence, as Jared flicked the radio dial, lost in her own thoughts.

* * *

The Miata was a useless car. Jake mumbled to himself. He felt as though his knees were squeezed to his chest, and the clutch stuck slightly when he jammed it down.

"Damn it straight to hell."

Paul opened one eye, letting out a breath.

"Dude, it's not your fault."

"Really?" He swerved around the black Mercedes, shifting into fifth gear, pushing the speedometer past seventy. "Please enlighten me as to how" He attempted to swallow the lump in his throat before continuing. "If I hadn't come to get you tonight, Leah wouldn't be dead. Really, it's quite simple."

"Jake, I'm not going to fight with you."

He fumed for a moment. Paul could always be counted on for a good argument, except it seemed, when you wanted one. "I regret everything I did tonight."

"Well, you shouldn't." He stated pointedly. "And if you think there's one person in this group that doesn't feel some guilt for what happened tonight, think again. Because we're all wondering if we could've done something differently, moved a little faster, or turned a little sooner. We can't change what happened. And stewing over it won't make anyone feel better."

"Paul, you got amazingly smart since I left. What gives?"

"It's your sister's influence on me." He joked; pleased Jake seemed to be calming down. "And this car sucks." He added as an afterthought.

"It really does." Jake agreed "I don't know what would possess anyone to cram themselves into it."

"It smells like bloodsucker…but for that matter, so do you."

Childishly, Jake stuck out his tongue. "You sorta get used to it, I guess."

"We'll sorta get used to everything." Paul said slowly, and they lapsed into silence.

* * *

Emmett drove his Jeep, at home behind the large wheel, lost in the chatter that filled the car. A lone vampire, in a car full of werewolves. He bit back the ironic laugh that threatened to boil over. The backseat was packed to the brim with Quileute boys. Using the mirror, he glanced over his shoulder, counting them. Seven, plus the one sitting shotgun, so eight total. Somehow they managed to look semi comfortable packed four in a row meant for three. Emmett only knew the names of two of them, Colin and Brady the youngest of the pack. They talked animatedly about a school soccer game that had taken place the previous night, their smiles forced, turmoil evident in their eyes. In the rearview mirror he could see the headlights of Alice's bright yellow Porsche. His sister's hand was linked with Jasper's over the gear shift. Their mouths were silent and unmoving. It was obvious they had no words between them, each simply thankful the other had survived. Emmett allowed his thoughts to drift for a moment, remembering that desolate second before things had gotten crazy. Bella's shredded clothing, the knowing, painful look in Rosalie's eyes. He thought of his wife. Her personal demons haunted him as much at night as they did her. He was no protector. He was a warrior. Emmett never had the right words, never the correct tenor. Instinct told him to make jokes. To try to lighten the mood. Common sense told him to shut up. For the first time in a long time, he followed common sense, and kept his mouth closed.

* * *

Sam drove last in the procession of expensive cars. He couldn't help but think how much they resembled a funeral dirge. The firemen had recovered nothing of Leah except the thick leather cord she tied around her ankle to secure clothing. The flames had burned too hot, they'd said, for anything resembling a body to survive. The roof had collapsed eventually, crushing any hopes of recovering bones. But her thoughts were gone from the pack. They'd known she was gone as soon as her lyric voice had disappeared. Always, he'd wanted to love her. The horrid guilt that somehow he'd forced her into this life, a life he'd always believed that women weren't destined for.

"Was this how it was meant to be?"

"Fate works in mysterious ways" Embry muttered sleepily.

The engine of Bella's despised red Ferrari purred under his gentle touch. He couldn't bear to speed, and quickly lost the taillights of the cars ahead of him.

"I never wanted this." He muttered "I couldn't control what happened…but I only ever wanted her to be happy."

"And Sam, you know that somewhere …deep down all she wanted was for you to be happy too."

"She was always so bitter…"

"She was hurting. And even you must've noticed that she was happier lately. More at peace with the way things worked out."

"I hope you're right." He swatted at the tears, ordering himself not to cry. "I hope you're right."

* * *

The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, pinks and reds glossed the sky, like gentle brushstrokes against a flawless blue canvas. Jake had beat us to the Clearwater's, but respecting Seth's wishes, remained in the car. One by one, the vehicles turned into the driveway, the overflow pouring onto the street. Leaning over the leather console, Arielle gently shook Seth awake, softly calling his name.

"Sweetie, you're home now."

He woke as violently as his disrupted sleep had been, thrashing about until he realized where he was.

"Oh. Um, thanks." His response was muted and embarrassed.

"Seth," I whispered "you don't have to do this."

"Yeah, I do." He sighed a little; I think he hoped we wouldn't notice. "Thanks for dropping me off."

"You're not doing this alone." Arielle said firmly. "I can understand why you wouldn't want vampires helping you…but look around kiddo."

He did, arching his back to stare out the deeply tinted rear window. A line of cars, a mile long stretched out behind us. His eyes turned back to me, grateful.

"I doubt if any of them, especially Jacob, would even consider letting you go in there alone."

"As far as sisters went, Leah was a pain in the ass." He said quietly, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye "She never let me do anything…and was always trying to protect me from danger she was sure was around every corner. Maybe if she hadn't been trying so hard to prevent me from having anything to do, she wouldn't have died."

"Seth, dude, don't say that." Quil ordered

"Its just hard to think, she won't wake me up tomorrow morning, yelling at me to get in the shower…or asking me if I finished all my homework. It's hard not knowing if we…if I could have done something differently and prevented it. It's hard to know I won't be able to talk to her anymore."

I handed him the handkerchief from my rear pocket, he blew his nose loudly into it.

"Thanks, man."

I forced a smile, and opened my mouth to say more, but shut it again. In that instant, the door to the Clearwater's home was thrown wide open. The light inside her house was blocked by the body of Sue Clearwater, standing in the jamb. She had a distinct look of sadness etched on her face, and a knowing look in her eye. I felt that somehow, the news that one of her children had been killed, would not come as such a surprise to her.

"Ready, dude?" Quil asked him softly.

He wiped his nose again, and handed the dirty handkerchief back to me, looking sheepish.

"As I'll ever be…" he muttered and wrenched open the car door, letting it slam behind him.

One by one, people exited vehicles, moving towards the front of the house. I waited, giving them the privacy I was sure they would need. I probably would have left, but the seemingly endless line of cars behind me prevented that. So, I was stuck. I watched in horror as Sue Clearwater nodded at her son's words. She didn't cry. Rather, she embraced her son, looking thankful she had something left to hold onto. Seth took her arm, and began to lead her into the house. She touched him gently, and turned around, making her way directly to my Mercedes. A little surprised, I stepped from the car to greet her.

"Mrs. Clearwater, I'm sorry-"

"It's Sue. And please, I'll be having none of that." Her voice was gentle. "I wanted to thank you for brining Seth home alive."

"I didn't…he…" I stammered over my words, unsure how to respond to her.

"He's all I have now. He values his friendship with your family. It goes against the grain of what we know, of what our tribe has always believed in. But Seth is a smart kid. And I trust him, and value his judgment…You're a good man Carlisle. He speaks very highly of you."

I shifted my weight uncomfortably, for the guilt was incredibly painful, close to unbearable. "I truly am sorry." I repeated, mutely.

"I know you are." She whispered "And that's just one of the reasons why we've grown to trust you…" she paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Won't you come inside? It would appear I'm having guests over…" She gestured to her home, where all fifteen Quileute boys stood around, chatting nonsensically.

I looked around casually. My family stood behind me, a distinct sense of awkwardness among us. "I think, perhaps, we should be getting on." I replied

"I understand." She said, her face going softer. "Seth told me your home burnt to the ground in the fight…"

"He told you a lot in a very short amount of time." I said with a genuine smile.

"He's good that way. A big mouth has to come in handy sometimes…" She laughed "If you need somewhere to stay…Don't hesitate to think of us."

I shook her hand again, trying to put many unsaid things into the action. Sue nodded her head and turned around again, leading the pack of oversized boys into her house. The beginning, of what was sure to be, an endless day. There would be tears, I knew. But never in front of her son. Sue Clearwater was a fighter until the bitter end. I clamored back into my car, sinking into the driver's seat. Silently, Arielle took my fingers within her own. I brought her hand to my lips, pressing them to it gently.

"Where now?" she asked me softly

"Forward, and onwards. We fight through it."

Fin.


	22. Epilogue

Author's Note: And here it is. The epilouge. Enjoy it. :)

* * *

Snow swirled violently outside the windows. A mass of pure white, disrupting the twinkling colors of the Christmas lights. I fidgeted slightly. My shoes were too tight. My tie was too loose. Edward laid a comforting hand over mine.

"Carlisle, you're doing the right thing."

I pivoted, facing my son. His eyes were topaz today; the corners pointed upwards, a grin tugging lightly on his mouth. "Trust me."

"I always do." I whispered and turned my gaze back towards the staircase. Alice had lined the banister with thousands of flowers, red and pink poinsettias, holly garlands wrapped around each baluster. The glass of the west wall was obscured by a twenty foot Christmas tree, draped completely in white lights and satin ornaments. The house was empty but for my immediate family. Paige and Renessme stood, straight backed, on either side of Rosalie, in brand new red and green dresses, respectively. Paige waved her little fingers at me, and I couldn't fight the sudden urge to smile, as some of the tension melted out of my system. I rolled my weight back onto my heels, exhaling slowly.

Then I caught sight of her.

Arielle descended the stairs, her dress whiter than the snow outside. The straps lay off her shoulders; an intricate web of lace and beads. The neckline dipped low, skimming the tops of her breasts, and the skirts flowed wide after they nipped her tiny waist. She'd done something elaborate and twisty with her usually wild hair, it was piled neatly atop her head, with a single loose curl hanging in front of her eye. She walked slowly, her hand skimming the railing, seemingly caressing the wood. Arielle smiled, a flash of brilliant teeth, and joined me, taking my fingers within her own.

Suddenly my shoes fit, my tie was just right. I ran a finger down her perfect cheek, content.

"Dearly Beloved" Emmett's booming voice began with a smile, straightening the clerical collar Alice had forced him to get. She wasn't very happy with me. Unlike Bella, I'd forced her to exercise some restraint with regards to my second wedding. I wanted no one here but my family. So, via the internet, Emmett had become a priest. I laughed at the irony. I had lead a church in my past life, and I was about to be married by someone that many would consider to be a fake pastor.

Suddenly I realized all eyes were on me, that I hadn't been paying enough attention, and I was now expected to speak.

"A friend once told me, that people come into your life for a reason and only stay for as long as they are needed.

"Since we have been together, you have provided me with strength, security, confidence, honesty, love and plenty of much needed guidance. I didn't realize I wasn't complete without you. I will always need you.

"Where there was cold, you brought warmth; and where my life was dark, you brought light. You may not realize it, but you have helped save me in so many ways. You have renewed my life; today I join that life with yours. It is my promise today, before our family, before our friends, to love and cherish you forever."

Arielle inhaled, her chest rose, fell, and then softly, she spoke.

"Looking back I can't remember a time that I wasn't in love with you. Your compassion and energy have and continue to inspire me in ways I never thought possible. You are my best friend, you are my soul mate. You have given me purpose at times when I felt I had none. Now, I'm speechless, over the edge, I'm just breathless. Hopeless, head over heels in the moment I never thought I'd get. You saved me, Carlisle. You renewed my life; today I join that life with yours. It is my promise today, before our family, before our friends, to love and cherish you forever."

I beckoned to Paige, who rushed forward, pure excitement bubbling in her eyes. She handed each of us a ring. I turned Arielle's over in my hand. It was tiny and delicate, much like her fingers. Little blue sapphires sparkled around it. Inside, though she didn't know it, I'd inscribed _"__immer__ in __mein__herz__"_ German, meaning "Forever in my heart" I wasn't going to tell her what it meant. I was about to let it become her new project. I slid it onto her finger, just as she slid a plain, but durable white gold ring onto mine. It was perfect. Emmett opened his mouth, and I knew what he was going to say next, so I held up a finger, signaling him to wait a second. I bent down, looking Paige in the eyes.

"Is it okay if I kiss Mommy now?" I asked her with a wink.

"You better. Or I think she'd be pretty sad."

I barked a laugh, and didn't wait for Emmett to finish his customary line before hooking my arm around Arielle's waist, pulling her close, and crashing my lips over hers.

I wasn't sure how much later we surfaced for air. Paige was blushing, and Emmett was itching to spit out an innuendo, which thankfully he refrained from doing due to the presence of children. Edward was pushing a hair away from Bella's cheek, and Alice had curled herself in Jasper's arms. As a stared around at the collection of people that had become my family, werewolves, vampires, and humans, I realized I'd learnt many things about life during my very long one. And I realized I'd be able to sum it up in three simple words.

It goes on.


	23. Author's Note

Just so everyone who has me on alert is aware, the sequel is posted, "Fade to Black"

Please check it out!


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